Two Swords: The Tangled Web
by Everything In Its Right Place
Summary: Kenshin's group falls through the well and goes to the warring states era. They meet Inuyasha and co. and find out things about their lives that they could have never imagined. A Rurouni KenshinInuyasha crossover COMPLETE! Revised edition uploaded!
1. Out of the Rain

I began watching Rurouni Kenshin a little while ago, and I fell in love with the series. I could never forget about Inuyasha though, so I thought, crossover time! This is actually unique in as much as I've never seen one like this before. So read on and enjoy!  
  
*That was my original author's note, and this is my first RK story. Looking back on it now after seeing the entire series, I laugh at myself. Keep in mind that I wrote this before I new what the Amekakeru Ryuu No Hirameki was, so... Um, well, you'll see. I went through and revamped a few things that didn't make much sense, but the plot is the original. I left it as homage to the silly girl I once was. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but neither do you!  
  
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"Hurry up, guys! It's raining!" Kaoru's voice rang out down the streets. Her, Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko were returning from a fair on the outskirts of town when the heavens opened up and began pouring on them. The little party was running down an unfamiliar street that was lined with cherry trees with Kaoru in the lead. Normally, it would have been very beautiful to run along a path with no buildings in sight, but when one was trying to find a place to get out of the rain, beautiful is not the operative word.  
  
"I found something!" The men, who had been trailing behind, watched as Kaoru disappeared behind a row of trees.  
  
"Where are you going, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin didn't like it when she was out of his sight. The rest of the party sprinted to catch up with her. They found that she had ascended a long flight of stairs that led up to a shrine. When the men reached the courtyard they expected to find Kaoru in either the big shrine or the small building that lay next to it, but instead she was standing staring at something as the water beat down on her, soaking through her thin pink kimono. Kenshin hurried to her as Sanosuke and Yahiko made their way to the larger building.  
  
"Miss Kaoru, What are you doing? Let's get some shelter." He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to where the other men were. Kenshin couldn't understand why she would stand there in the middle of the storm and stare at something as trivial as a tree when there was a roof to hide under nearby. Truthfully, Kaoru didn't quite know herself why she had stopped. There was just something about that tree that almost called to her. She couldn't tear her eyes from the giant base or the spot in the middle of it that was lighter than the rest. Something very important happened there, and she knew it. She knew it in the depths of soul. That tree was significant somehow. Sanosuke was too busy pounding on the door of the shrine to even notice that Kaoru hadn't been with them. He was becoming frustrated that no one was answering.  
  
"What kind of a shrine keeper shuts down when it starts to rain?" He continued his pounding to no avail.  
  
"Sano, I think it's more likely that they shut down because it is already night, that I do." Kenshin looked up at the sky and peeked at the stars through the heavy droplets that were still angrily falling. Sanosuke gave up on the pounding and began to try and force the door open. It held fast.  
  
"Hey, why don't we go over to the little house? It probably isn't locked up tight like this one." The obvious wasn't apparent to anyone but the youngest. The drenched people ran to the small shelter, and Sanosuke got the door open by not stopping at it but shouldering his way through. The four of them were relieved to finally be out of the downpour, even though the little room dripped and smelled old. The room held nothing but a few steps and an old boarded up well. It was very cold there because of its dampness, but no one cared. The three men took their seats on the steps as Kaoru looked around.  
  
"What is this place anyway?" She asked as if they had all been there a hundred times before, and she had just misplaced the name.  
  
"How should I know, Missy?"  
  
"When you were trying to break the shrine door down, I saw a placard that said Higarashi Shrine." Once again it was Yahiko who held the information. Kaoru sighed. She had heard of this place, but she had never been there. It was too far from her home. There were many other shrines that were much closer. Besides, all the proprietor ever wanted to do was talk about all the demons that had once inhabited Japan and how his shrine had been built in order to honor the people who helped to rid the world of evil.  
  
"Huh, real good job they did of that." Kaoru couldn't help but think of all the evil that still abounded in Japan. It may be politics and not demons, but it was evil none the less.  
  
"What did you say, Miss Kaoru?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, Kenshin." Kaoru moved to take a seat on top of the boarded up well. The steps were too full anyway. When she sat, she heard the boards start to creak.  
  
"Looks like you're to fat to sit there."  
  
"Shut up, Yahiko. These boards are plenty strong enough to support my weight." Kaoru had barely finished her sentence when a loud snap was heard, and the boards gave way. Kenshin and Sanosuke rushed to her aid and steadied her as most of the boards fell down the well. It seemed like they were going to be okay until Yahiko jumped to try and save his instructor as well. The little wood that was holding them couldn't do it anymore, and they found themselves falling down the well in a tangle of limbs. They did not thump immediately to the ground as expected but were instead enshrouded in a blue light. It was eerie, and all of them disregarded it as their own imagination when they hit the bottom of the well.  
  
"You idiot!" Both Kaoru and Sanosuke punched Yahiko's head simultaneously.  
  
"Now, now, it was an accident." Kenshin didn't like them to be fighting and needed to figure out a way out of the well. He could have sworn he'd seen a ladder on the way down, but he also saw an aura of blue so an imaginary ladder was not out of the question. He looked up and his breath caught. Everyone stopped and stared up with him. Above them was not the roof of the little well house, but the sky. It was a beautiful starry night and no rain fell upon them.  
  
"Um, what's going on?" Sanosuke scratched his head. How could the roof be gone?  
  
"Come on, let's get out of this well." With much effort on the parts of Kaoru and Yahiko, they did just that. Everyone couldn't believe their eyes. Around them was not the small shelter or even the big shrine. The streets of Tokyo were gone. They were standing next to a well in the middle of a clearing. The only thing that remained the same was the tree Kaoru had been staring at. It loomed comfortingly in the distance.  
  
"Where are we?" Kaoru was soaking wet, tired, and thoroughly confused. None of them even had a chance to speculate beyond that. Both Kenshin's and Sanosuke's heads snapped up as they heard a voice in the distance.  
  
"You're lucky you came tonight. If it were any other day of the month, you'd be dead by now. But don't worry, I'll take you on like this." They couldn't see from whom the voice was coming from because the moon was gone that night. It was only the stars that lent their light. Sanosuke and Kenshin sprinted toward the voice's direction as something else met their ears.  
  
"Miss Kaoru, Yahiko, you stay here." It was the distinctive noise of a sword being unsheathed. 


	2. The Fight

When Kenshin and Sanosuke reached the source of the voice, they couldn't believe their eyes. In front of them was a man with hip length black hair. He was clothed in an old style red haori and wore no shoes. The men hadn't seen clothing like that except in theatres and in pictures. They would have thought him an actor if it hadn't been for the stance he was in and the fire in his eyes. Both Kenshin and Sanosuke knew that stance well. This man was ready to fight. He was ready to kill. But they couldn't see how he was going to kill anything with the weapon he held.  
  
"How does he expect to fight with a sword like that?" Kenshin shook his head at Sanosuke's question. He really had no idea. The sword the man was holding so confidently was the most battered thing they had ever seen. The blade was chipped in too many places to count, and the handle looked like it was going to fall off any moment. But that was not the most surprising part. The man, if he could even be called a man, that he was facing was a giant toad-like creature. Its skin was a sickening green color and moisture oozed from it. It took a step toward the man in red.  
  
"I will kill you, you puny human."  
  
"I am not a human, you youkai piece of shit!" Kenshin and Sanosuke stood and stared. What did he mean not human? And weren't youkai just legends? The man in red charged at the toad and began fighting. The toad lashed out his tongue and knocked him back. The man was relentless. He charged again and was knocked back. The toad drew his own sword.  
  
"You will tell me where the shards are."  
  
"I'll tell you nothing!" The man charged a third time, and the toad brought his sword down in a strike that couldn't miss. When it came in contact with his shoulder though, it snapped in half.  
  
"My sword!"  
  
"You can't cut through fire rat, you idiot." The man sliced at the toad with his sword and then was pushed back by its tongue. The shabby weapon flew from his hands and landed a few feet away. Kenshin and Sanosuke couldn't just stand there anymore. They gave each other knowing looks then rushed to the man's aid. But before Kenshin could draw his blade or Sanosuke could throw even one punch, a woman's voice rang out over the treetops.  
  
"Hiraikotsu!"  
  
Suddenly an enormous boomerang shredded its way through the forest, knocking down trees as it came toward them. It flew past and sliced the toad man cleanly in two. The man seemed to fade away into nothing but bones. The weapon then swung around and returned to its owner. It was caught by a woman in a tight black bodysuit with pink armor plating. Her hair was tied up high into a ponytail. Behind her stood a man in dark purple and black robes. He was carrying a gold staff that signified him as a monk. Next to them was a small yellow cat with big pink eyes and two tails.  
  
"Sango, I told you to stay out of it!"  
  
"How did I know you were going to say that?"  
  
"Keh! Well you should learn to listen when I tell you something!"  
  
"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder." The man in red, the armored woman, and the monk all stopped and looked directly at Sanosuke and Kenshin.  
  
"Um, Sanosuke, I don't think that was a very smart thing to say, that I don't." They heard something that sounded almost like a low growl.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" The sound had been coming from the man in red. He was now in a crouch looking at them as if he was going to jump and strike any second. His sword still lay on the ground near the misplaced men.  
  
"Could they be more of Naraku's incarnations?" The monk slammed his staff down and threw some papers with sutras written on them. The metal rings on the staff jingled, and the papers stuck to Kenshin and Sanosuke. The men scratched their heads then peeled them off. Everyone but the longhaired man looked at each other confused.  
  
"They're not demons, you idiot monk."  
  
"How was I supposed to know that, Inuyasha?"  
  
"You should have asked, Miroku. They're just ordinary humans."  
  
"Inuyasha!" Someone was yelling and riding up on a pink bicycle with a small boy sporting what looked to Kenshin and Sanosuke like a fluffy tail behind her. The men couldn't tear their eyes from her. She was wearing high white socks, loafers, a sailor top with a floppy red tie, and a ridiculously short skirt that made both Kenshin and Sanosuke blush. Her hair was falling freely around her shoulders, and her face was strikingly familiar. When she pulled up Sanosuke moved ever so slightly toward her.  
  
"Why are you here? Didn't Kenshin tell you to stay put? And what are you wearing?" The girl looked at him and cocked her head to one side.  
  
"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Kenshin started to step closer to her and the man who had been identified as Inuyasha moved between them. He was protecting her. Why was he doing that? How did he know her? Something about her was not quite right.  
  
"Miss Kaoru?" 


	3. Formal Introductions

Kenshin looked hard at the girl before him. He knew Kaoru better than any one else did, and this girl was most definitely not Kaoru. Her eyes weren't quite the right shade, and she was just a bit too young. As outgoing as she was, Kaoru would never wear a skirt that short. The girl was staring back at him just as intensely. She seemed to recognize something there that no one else in her group did. Inuyasha still stood between them and was obviously upset that they had not answered his question.  
  
"I said, who the hell are you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Kenshin Himura, and this is Sanosuke Sagara." The girl's face seemed to light up. It was like something she had been searching for finally clicked in her head. She pushed a very surprised Inuyasha aside and walked right up to Kenshin. She tentatively reached her hand out and touched his left cheek. His breath caught as she gently traced the cross-shaped scar that was there.  
  
"But you're not supposed to be alive for another three hundred and fifty years."  
  
"What are you talking about, Kagome? Who is this guy? What the hell is going on?" Kagome ignored Inuyasha's incessant questions to continue exploring Kenshin. He was more than embarrassed as her fingers ran through his bright orange hair, under his soft violet eyes, and once again down his scar.  
  
"How can this be?" He gently grabbed her wrist and tore her from her trance.  
  
"Um, Miss Kagome was it? I am very sorry. I thought you were Miss Kaoru. You look surprisingly similar." Kenshin smiled, and Kagome's face turned crimson. She hadn't even realized what she was doing. She was just drawn to this man. Even the first time she saw his picture, she felt spellbound. It was like she knew his face. She had only felt that way once before, the first time she saw Inuyasha. Just like now, she had been drawn to him. But how had he gotten to the Warring States era? He was a hero of the Meiji era.  
  
"I am Kagome Higarashi. This is Sango, the demon slayer. The monk over there is Miroku. That little ball of fluff is the kitsune, Shippo. And this angry man is Inuyasha. Inuyasha would you please calm down?"  
  
"Why were you touching him?" Describing Inuyasha as an angry man had been an understatement. He was beyond angry. He was livid. Touching other men was not something that he liked Kagome to do.  
  
"I have seen him before."  
  
"Uh, Missy, you just said that Kenshin was not supposed to be alive for another three hundred and fifty years. What the heck does that mean?" Sanosuke couldn't quite understand how Kagome could say he wasn't alive yet and know him all at once.  
  
"Kenshin was a hero in the revolution that sparked the Meiji era. He was the great Battousai the Manslayer. He won the war for the Imperialists. There was a portrait of him in my history book. I recognized the hair and the scar. Plus I know more about you, Kenshin, than I'd like because you were on my test last week. Way to go whooping the Chinese by the way." Kenshin's jaw was on the floor. He was a test question?  
  
"But the Meiji era just started ten years ago. He was a shadow assassin, nobody knew him. How can he be in history books already? And what the heck Chinese are you talking about?"  
  
"Um, Kagome, what's the Meiji era?"  
  
"Trust me Sango, you don't want to have to learn about it. Sanosuke was your name right? Don't worry about the Chinese. I guess I'm a little earlier on that one. How did you get here?"  
  
"We fell through a well and suddenly the whole world has turned upside down." Kenshin was still staring at Kagome. How could that demon slayer not know about the times they were in? And what the heck was a demon slayer anyway? Demons weren't supposed to exist. He had been called a demon many times, but he was almost certain the woman was slaying something very different.  
  
"Sanosuke, Kenshin, um, this is a little hard to explain." Kagome stopped for a moment to try and find the right words. She wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"It's okay, Miss Kagome. Take your time."  
  
"Well, this is not the Meiji era." The men looked at her as if she had just told them that she was really a monkey and had come to eat their brains.  
  
"What?"  
  
"This is the Warring States Era. You somehow traveled back in time through the Bone Eater's Well. I know about you from history because I am from five hundred years in the future. One hundred and fifty years in your future. My time is a democratic era. I go to school and learn about the things from the past like Kenshin." Kenshin looked at her like she was nuts.  
  
"Oro?" He fell backwards. His brain could not process what she had just told him, so he fainted.  
  
"Now I know I drank to much sake at that fair." Sanosuke began shaking his head, trying to wake from his dream. Just then they heard people running through the forest. Yahiko jumped to Kenshin's side and Kaoru followed soon after. She was still dripping from the earlier rain, and her pink kimono was covered in dirt.  
  
"Oh my!" She was startled when she looked up. The girl standing in front of her was almost a mirror of herself. They seemed so alike.  
  
"You must be the infamous Miss Kaoru. I, for one, am very pleased to meet you. Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?" Her cheeks turned bright red, and she smacked the monk's face. How could he ask her such a question? Who were all these people?  
  
"I think we should go back to Kaede's hut to treat Inuyasha and Kenshin. She will know how to fix him up." Sango grabbed the monk and began walking in the direction of the village. No one thought it wise to argue with her, and all of them followed. Kaoru stayed next to Sanosuke who was holding Kenshin the whole time. Kagome and Inuyasha brought up the rear. His anger had faded now that the other man's woman had shown up. Kagome seemed absorbed with Kaoru. She watched every step she made.  
  
"What is it, Kagome? Is there something wrong with her?"  
  
"No, Inuyasha. I am just amazed that I could look like Kikyo and that girl all at once. My face must be very popular." She laughed and they continued walking through the dark forest. She thought it best not to tell Inuyasha about the ball of pink light coming from Kaoru's side. 


	4. Truth In the Sunrise

When Kenshin awoke to consciousness, he did not open his eyes right away. The last thing he remembered was a girl telling him he had traveled back in time. He was scared that if he looked at the room he was in, it wouldn't be the dojo. He felt tender hands running through his hair.  
  
"I wonder if Kenshin will be okay." That was Kaoru's voice. He had only been dreaming earlier. It was just a silly dream. The redheaded samurai happily opened his eyes to look at her. His smile quickly faded, though, when he realized where he was. They were in some sort of small hut. It was built in a very old style. There was a fire in the middle, and around it sat Yahiko, Sanosuke, the monk, the demon slayer, the fox boy, the angry man, an old woman, and the girl who looked so much like Kaoru. The real Kaoru sat by his side. Her fingers were still entwined in his tresses.  
  
"Oh, Kenshin, you're awake!" Her hands quickly left his head, and he sat up. He looked hard at the people he had just met. They had to have some answers.  
  
"Miss Kagome, could you answer some questions for me?" She seemed to be the most knowledgeable and the nicest.  
  
"Of course, Kenshin."  
  
"You already missed question and answer time, Kenshin. I asked a lot." Sanosuke was looking pointedly at him.  
  
"It's okay; I can answer more."  
  
"Thank you, Miss Kagome. Please tell me, what was that toad man?"  
  
"Keh! He was a youkai, you idiot."  
  
"Inuyasha, be quiet. He was a youkai, Kenshin." Kenshin's face paled. A youkai?  
  
"But aren't all the youkai gone? Weren't they just legend?"  
  
"In your time, yes. Here, no. We battle youkai everyday while collecting shards."  
  
"Shards?" Things were not getting any clearer for Kenshin. As a matter of fact, he was getting more confused.  
  
"It's something that makes the youkai more powerful. Kagome broke it and now all the demons are trying to get the pieces. They have to get to them first." Sanosuke was pleased with his explanation. It had taken him two hours to understand that part, and he was happy to spread his knowledge.  
  
"Ah, I see. There is one more thing though. Mr. Inuyasha said that he was not human. What is he?" Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Kaoru looked over at Inuyasha. They had forgotten he had said that, or they didn't know in the first place. What could he be? He was obviously very strong, but besides his long black hair, he didn't seem any different from them. Inuyasha returned their looks with a glare. He got up and looked out the window. It was almost dawn. He knew the best way to explain to them what he was. They would have to see it.  
  
"I am a hanyou. My mother was a human. My father was a great demon. Once a month, I turn human for a night. When the sun comes up, you can see my true form. Let's go outside. I don't want wimpy to faint again and ruin Kaede's hut." Sanosuke couldn't believe his ears. Had that man just called Kenshin wimpy? Everyone obediently followed Inuyasha out of the hut. They stood in a semi circle as he walked farther out and stood before them. He felt kind of funny in front of those people. They were watching him like he was a show. Kagome reached over and grabbed Kaoru's arm.  
  
"Please don't be scared. He may look frightening, but he's the same guy as now." Kaoru didn't know what to say. Could he really be that intimidating in his true form? The sun crested slightly over the hills. Day was beginning to break.  
  
"It's time." Kagome held tighter to Kaoru's arm, and they watched as Inuyasha's body let off a pulse. It sounded almost like a heartbeat. But to Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Yahiko, the pulse wasn't the frightening part. It was just everything else that was happening to the man. The black in his hair seemed to melt away like dirt did when one washed their hair. I was turning a pure white color. Inuyasha had his mouth open. They watched his canines grow into fangs. His fingernails stretched into claws. The sharpness of them was evident as the early morning light flashed off their edges. His eyes flashed red, then settled into gold. All of this was overwhelming, but the most startling thing had yet to come. Out of his head, triangles of white fur began to come up. His human ears were gone, and in their stead were the ears of a dog. Inuyasha smirked, and Kenshin stared unbelievingly. He was not lying. The man before him was most definitely not human. Kenshin turned to comfort Kaoru who he was sure was scared out of her mind. She had been screaming like a maniac when they went to that haunted house a while ago. But he found she didn't need comfort. She didn't seem to be scared in the least. Kagome let go of her arm, and she walked past Kenshin straight up to Inuyasha. She reached out her hand and touched his white hair. It was silky under her touch. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Then began sniffing the air.  
  
"I feel like I know you," Kaoru whispered. Inuyasha grabbed her arms forcefully, and sniffed harder. Kenshin ran forward. He couldn't let any one hurt Kaoru.  
  
"You have the same scent." Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks. What the heck was this guy talking about?  
  
"Mr. Inuyasha, I think I would be best if you released Miss Kaoru, that I do." Inuyasha's grip on her shoulders softened. He looked up, thoroughly confused. His gaze went from Kagome to Kaoru then back to Kagome.  
  
"Kagome, she has your scent. It's a little different, but it's very close."  
  
"What the heck is he talking about?" Sanosuke was lost.  
  
"Demons have senses that we as humans do not understand. They can hear everything and have a sense of smell that rivals that of any animal. Every thing has its own scent. Apparently Kagome's and Kaoru's are very similar." Miroku smiled at that. He was very good at explaining things. Kagome had been staring at Inuyasha for a while.  
  
"I think I'm her reincarnation, Inuyasha. Just as we are both Kikyo's." Inuyasha frowned then looked down at the girl in front of him.  
  
"She doesn't have a fighting spirit like you."  
  
"Um, Mr. Inuyasha, I just think it's that you don't know her very well. A fighting spirit is definitely a good way to describe Miss Kaoru, that it is." 


	5. The Hot Springs

Kaoru sighed as she let her body settle further into the heat of the hot springs. She was having a hard time with everything she had just learned. She was in the past. Not Kenshin's past, but the real past. Three hundred and fifty years away from home. That was much tougher to handle than any number of miles. Her home simply didn't exist yet where she was. That was not the worst part though.  
  
"Are you feeling better, Kaoru?"  
  
"Yes, Kagome." Kagome. She was the worst part. It wasn't that she didn't like Kagome because she really did. It was just so strange. Sitting next to her in the soothing water was a woman who was almost like herself. They shared the same soul. Kagome was her reincarnation. When she died her soul would settle into the woman now before her. She had learned that there was a powerful miko named Kikyo who was in love with Inuyasha. It was that woman's soul that now was her own. Kikyo had been tricked into believing Inuyasha betrayed her and pinned him to a tree before dying. It was the same tree Kaoru had been so fascinated with. That explained why. Her lack of fear of the hanyou was also explained. Her soul knew him before her eyes ever could. It was only when he was there in all his white haired glory that she felt it. She never wavered in her love for Kenshin, but this man was amazing. His being called to hers. She stared off into the rising steam. She didn't know that next to her, Kagome was also thinking. She understood the way her soul had been drawn to Kenshin now. It was the will of Kaoru that rested within her. Part of her soul may have been reaching for the samurai, but her heart belonged to someone else.  
  
"Kaoru?" Both women were torn from their thoughts by the small voice.  
  
"Yes, Sango?" Kaoru looked at the woman before her. She was tougher and stronger than Kagome, but she was raised in this difficult time, so that made sense. Her body was littered with scars of all sizes that were almost faded away. With her bodysuit or kimono on, they couldn't be seen, but in the state she was in, they were more than evident. Kaoru felt sorry for her. She must have been suffering so much for so long.  
  
"How long have you known your friend?" Kaoru thought that was an odd question. Why did she want to know that? Could she want Kenshin? Megumi was enough competition.  
  
"I have known Kenshin for a long time. He was a wanderer who came to my dojo. He protects me with his life and has promised never to leave me." Sango was taken aback. This girl sounded almost hostile.  
  
"Kenshin is the one with the orange hair right?"  
  
"Yes he is."  
  
"I didn't mean him." Kaoru turned ten shades of red. Of course this woman didn't want Kenshin. She could tell Kaoru's feelings for him. Her attention had turned elsewhere.  
  
"You mean Sanosuke. Oh! I have known Sano almost as long as I have known Kenshin. They first met in a fight. Kenshin won, and now they are best friends. He's great even if he is a worthless free loader." Kaoru's big smile almost worried Sango.  
  
"Oh, I was just wondering." The women sighed and sat for a while longer.  
  
"I think it's time we give the guys a chance. I brought some extra clothes for you Kaoru. They're a pair of hakama and a blue gi. I hope that's okay." Kaoru looked at her happily.  
  
"Oh, it's fine. They look almost like the clothes I train in." The three women got dressed and didn't notice the snapping of the twigs beyond them.  
  
Inuyasha sat cross-legged on the front stoop next to Kenshin who was sitting the same way. Sanosuke, Miroku, Yahiko and Shippo were inside regaling each other with stories of their heroics, or rather, Kenshin and Inuyasha's heroics. They were both staring in the direction the women had gone. They didn't talk for a while. What was there to say to someone so different than one's self?  
  
"I didn't like it when Kagome touched you." It was Inuyasha who broke the ice. This man needed to know that Kagome was his, and she was off limits. He was surprised by the answer that came from the small orange haired man.  
  
"I know. I didn't like it when Miss Kaoru touched you either, that I did not." The men then lapsed back into silence. No more words were said. There was no need for them. Both men understood to whom the women were meant for. Kenshin had no intention of going after Kagome, as Inuyasha had no want of Kaoru. Besides Inuyasha didn't need another woman in his life. They continued to watch the forest. The sun was overhead and small butterflies flapped about. The day seemed so peaceful. Inuyasha closed his eyes and breathed in, enjoying the aroma that the wildflowers gave off. Then something else assaulted his senses. His back stiffened, and his eyes jerked open.  
  
"No!"  
  
"What is it?" Kenshin was full of worry. He knew that Inuyasha could tell things that he could not. Suddenly screams rang out from the direction of the hot springs.  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
"Miss Kaoru!" 


	6. The Protectors

Sanosuke, Miroku, Yahiko and Shippo jumped from where they had been sitting around the fire. They had barely heard a scream, but Kenshin and Inuyasha's voices were clear. They scrambled to the door of the hut and looked out. All they saw were two blurs. One was red and white, the other white, orange, and pink. The small group of men began to run after them. Something was seriously wrong. Upon catching up with the two blurs, they stood and stared outward, horrified. There were corpses everywhere. Men of all ages were lying dead on the ground. Their blood stained everything around the peaceful hot springs that kept steaming, oblivious to the carnage. The men were horribly mauled. Alone in the center of it all was a girl. Her hair was still wet from her bath, and she was shaking. She wore a hastily put on kimono, and the weapon that usually never left her side was propped up against a tree. She was on her knees with her head hanging down.  
  
"Sango!" Sanosuke reached her side first. He didn't know why but he was very worried about this girl. She was the strongest woman he had ever seen, but now as he gently touched her shoulder to comfort her crying, she seemed so helpless.  
  
"I couldn't stop her. She used the men to distract me. There were too many of them." Her words were barely understandable between her sobs. She had let her best friend down. She should have been able to protect her, and she wasn't. Yet another person to add to the list of people she had failed.  
  
"It's okay, Miss Sango. I'm sure you tried your best. Are you alright?" Kenshin couldn't help but notice the wounds on her body. The blood that seeped from them seemed so out of place on her soft pink kimono. Inuyasha was busy sniffing the air.  
  
"Shit! It was Kagura wasn't it? Damn that Naraku!" Inuyasha stepped carelessly over the bodies to Sango's side.  
  
"It was her."  
  
"All this death is horrible. How could they have all come here only to be slain? I don't understand it." Kenshin couldn't stand the sight of death. He had always been surrounded with it and became immune for a while, but now, he couldn't go back to it.  
  
"These men were dead long before they got here. Kagura has the power to control the dead. She brought these men here to distract Sango so she could take Kagome. Naraku must have plans of some sort. Kaoru was probably only taken because she was so like Kagome. It's the shards Naraku wants. The shards and Inuyasha's life." Miroku bowed his head after his explanation.  
  
"That is just too horrible for words. Why would any one do this to Miss Kagome and Miss Kaoru?"  
  
"Keh! He wants the shards, and he wants me to come rescue them so he can kill me. I will rescue them, but I won't be the one dying." Inuyasha snapped his head. He hated the sound coming from the monk's direction. Behind him, Yahiko was on his knees. He gagged and heaved. The sight of this much death had gotten the better of him, and he couldn't handle it. Then another sound came to his ears. It was a buzzing.  
  
"Naraku's poison bees!" Shippo was ducking for cover. A few bees flew straight at them. A swooshing sound was made as a sword ripped through the air.  
  
"Sankontessou!" Claws swiped by and destroyed the bugs the sword hadn't knocked out. Inuyasha stood then looked at Kenshin. He had his eyes on the man's weapon.  
  
"What the hell is that?"  
  
"My sword."  
  
"Someone cheated you because the blade is not facing the right way."  
  
"The blade is intended to be reversed, Mr. Inuyasha."  
  
"Why? You won't be able to kill anything with that."  
  
"That's exactly why. I made a vow a long time ago to never take another person's life, that I did." Inuyasha stared hard at the man. Didn't he understand anything?  
  
"Keh! We are not facing people, wimpy. These are demons. And Naraku is the worst one. He's more evil than your puny brain can imagine. If you want Kaoru back, you must kill. He will send hoards of demons to try and kill us. They don't get knocked out! They will fight until they die!" Inuyasha stamped his foot and moved closer to Kenshin to emphasize his last statement. He was interrupted by a grunt. Sanosuke stood with Sango's arm draped around his neck. She was calmer, but still upset.  
  
"I think we should get this little Missy away from all of this." He gestured to the massacre around them. Everyone else nodded in agreement and followed Sanosuke and Sango out of the forest. Upon reaching Kaede's hut Kenshin and Inuyasha stayed outside.  
  
"I need to ask you something, Mr. Inuyasha."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, you criticize my sword because it is a reverse blade. But I have seen yours as well. How can you do anything with that?" To Kenshin's amazement, Inuyasha started laughing. He looked at the shocked samurai.  
  
"Come with me, wimpy." Kenshin followed despite the insult. Of all the nicknames to have, Kenshin thought it was one of the worst. They reached the clearing that held the Bone Eater's Well. Inuyasha withdrew his sword from its sheath. He held up the battered weapon for Kenshin to examine more closely.  
  
"This is Tetsusaiga. It was made from my father's fang. It is the most feared and coveted sword among the demons. This is why." Inuyasha took a step away from Kenshin and tightened his grip on the sword. Instantly it had grown into a huge fang shaped weapon. It was intensely sharp and looked overwhelming. Inuyasha turned toward a vacant part of the forest. He raised the sword behind him and Kenshin watched as it created a small slow tornado around itself. The hanyou jumped in the air and brought the sword down hard.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!" Three strips of yellow light burst from the sword, knocking down everything in their path. When the smoke cleared, there were no more trees in that area, only three large grooves in the earth.  
  
"That is not even Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to defeat Naraku and get Kagome back. Killing heartless things like youkai is easy. I don't know how badly you want Kaoru back, but you should figure it out." Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and began to walk away. Kenshin continued to stare at the grooves in the ground.  
  
"Hey wimpy, I'm going to check on Sango and then we're going. Hurry up." Kenshin turned and watched his form move out of the clearing. Then looked back at the grooves. Kagome had that man to protect her, but how could he protect Kaoru from power like that? 


	7. Nervous Hearts

Sanosuke and Sango sat alone in Kaede's hut. Yahiko was outside talking to Kenshin. Inuyasha and Miroku had gone who knows where. So they were alone. Sango was rubbing her arm where one of the possessed men's swords had cut her. She was trying not to let Sanosuke notice her sidelong glances at him.  
  
"How bad does it hurt, Missy?" He had noticed. He had watched every move she'd made since he had taken her back to the hut. He'd watched as the old woman bandaged the wound before she left to gather herbs. He'd watched as she looked downward the whole time, more worried about her friend than her injuries. He'd even watched her shadow as she shed her kimono behind a partition and changed into her bodysuit. His eyes had never left her form.  
  
"It's not that bad. I'm just really worried about Kagome."  
  
"If she's anything like Kaoru, which apparently she is, she'll be fine. Kaoru would never let anyone hurt her."  
  
"Kaoru has never been up against Naraku. He is the worst there is. I've never seen someone more evil. He has others do his dirty work. He controls my brother and makes me fight him. I have slain hundreds of demons, but even though I know he's not my brother any more, I can't kill him. I will never be able to." Sanosuke watched as her eyes glistened. She was a proud woman though, and she would not allow him to see her cry again. Not a single tear ran down her cheek. Sanosuke's heart felt for her. What a horrible thing for someone to do. How could anyone be expected to kill their family?  
  
"I'm sure no one holds that against you." She looked up at him and smiled slightly.  
  
"That's the crazy thing. I have put their lives in danger more than once because of my inability to kill Kohaku. But they don't care. Even Inuyasha has never held that against me." She tossed her head then began to take in Sanosuke's body. She really liked looking at him. He was overwhelmingly strong and tall. His white jacket that left his chest bare to see, and all the bandages that kept him constantly ready to fight were attractive to say the least. His body was chiseled and the red band that held his unruly hair back made her want to run over to him and tame it herself. He was perfect. There was only one thing missing.  
  
"Sanosuke?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Where is your weapon?"  
  
"Right here." Sanosuke pounded his fists together and smiled. Sango smiled back.  
  
"You must be very strong, but you can't fight demons without a real weapon. Like Inuyasha said, demons don't get knocked out." She did her best to mimic Inuyasha's gruff voice and angry expression when she said that. She and Sanosuke burst out in laughter. She reached to her side and pulled out a short sword.  
  
"Here." She placed the sword in Sanosuke's hand. Her fingers lingered as his touched them. He didn't pull his hand away, but instead looked up into her eyes.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Kaoru had been frightened as she flew through the air much faster then on the trains, carried by a huge feather. She had been scared when she and Kagome were tied up and chained to a wall inside a dark spooky castle. Now she was petrified. The man standing before her had an evil energy that almost paralyzed her. She literally felt weak in his presence. The weight of it seemed to push her down. He was staring at her and Kagome holding something small and pink in his hand. It was a glass ball that was only missing a very small piece.  
  
"Three more shards and the Shikon no Tama is complete. I know that you and Inuyasha have been searching for them. Where are they?" Kagome looked up angrily at him. She knew where the shards were. They were resting in a small glass bottle around Shippo's neck. She had given them to him to watch while she bathed.  
  
"I don't have them." Kagome spat her words at him.  
  
"No matter. I'm sure Inuyasha has them. When he comes to save you, I will kill him and get the shards anyway. And I know he'll come. Apparently he left two of his women alone together. That was a stupid mistake. Because of his foolishness, he can watch you die before he goes." Naraku glared at Kaoru. Kagome sighed in relief. He wouldn't kill either of them yet. She was thankful for that. That and the fact that she was the only one who could see the shards. The pink light in Kaoru's side would have been glaringly obvious otherwise. 


	8. First Attack

The cool wind blew hard on the travelers as they made their way through the air. Kenshin, Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippo, and Yahiko rode on the back of Hatchi. Sanosuke and Sango rode on Kirara. Upon seeing Hatchi turn into a giant yellow tube and being asked to ride on him, Sanosuke had freaked out. He would barely ride on a train, and he most certainly would not be riding on the back of any yellow tube. He would walk or he wouldn't go. His tune had changed though, when Sango told him he could ride on the fire cat with her. He had agreed, saying he felt safer being able to hold on with his legs. This was almost true. He felt better with Sango in front of him, between his legs. He knew that Kaoru was in trouble, and he should be focused, but she was just so darn distracting. The odd little party was heading North, the direction Kagura had flown off to. As hard as he was trying, Inuyasha could barely make out a scent. All he wanted was Kagome back. She was his everything even if he didn't admit it. He feared for her safety. He would rather die than see her hurt.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
"What is it, Mr. Inuyasha?"  
  
"I lost her. I can't smell the stench of Naraku anywhere. And would you stop with that Mr. thing? It's starting to piss me off."  
  
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, that I am."  
  
"I think it would be best if we stop at the next clearing. It is well past time for our mid-day meal anyway." Inuyasha and Kenshin glared at the monk. That was the last thing they wanted to do. They needed to keep going. They needed to find Kagome and Kaoru before it was too late. They needed to defeat Naraku, who had stolen them. But Hatchi was not loyal to Inuyasha or Kenshin and moments later they were all on the ground. Shippo and Yahiko dug hungrily into some of the instant food that had been left behind in Kagome's bag. The rest of them shared what little was left after that. Inuyasha and Kenshin barely talked the whole time. They were too busy staring to the North. They knew that somewhere in that direction, a vital part of their lives was being held hostage. Miroku, however, had a lot to say, mostly about Naraku. He spoke of the different encounters they'd had with him, and the real evil that he was. He tried to explain about Kikyo, and why Naraku hated Inuyasha so much.  
  
"So, you see, Naraku only exists because of Onigumo's love for Kikyo and his hate for Inuyasha." Yahiko had not missed a word during Miroku's whole spiel. This Naraku was more evil than any foe Kenshin had ever faced. No human being could be so horrible. He watched the monk as he continued talking, moving closer and closer to Sango who was showing Sanosuke how to cook ramen. Surprisingly Inuyasha didn't seem to notice the instant noodles. He was still staring along with Kenshin toward the North. He was eating absent mindedly at best. Miroku continued his slow trek toward Sango. Yahiko gawked as his covered hand moved shamelessly to her bottom.  
  
"PERVERT!" Sango was surprised and upset. She was upset because the monk had once again grabbed her butt. She was surprised though because Sanosuke nearly bowled her over as he lunged for Miroku. He grabbed his hand and pulled him off the ground by it and his robes.  
  
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Miroku was almost too shocked for words.  
  
"It was innocent. I swear!"  
  
"You call grabbing someone innocent? She didn't like it, and it would be in your best interest to not do it again."  
  
"Sano, let go of the monk. We don't want to fight with the people who will help us to get back Miss Kaoru." Sanosuke looked at Kenshin who, after speaking with him, returned to staring and released Miroku. He landed with an unceremonious thud. He watched as the tall fighter returned to his place with Sango who was blushing furiously and had almost burnt the noodles. Miroku sighed as they looked tentatively at each other. He had always wanted Sango, and this man moved in and pulled her away right under his nose. Sanosuke took the noodles from her and she stood up. She tripped a little, and he caught her in his strong arms. She giggled, and they both blushed again. Miroku tore his eyes from the happy scene and hung his head. He'd lost. He had all the time in the world to show Sango his true feelings, and he'd spent it groping and hitting on other women. He vowed to himself that one day he would have her. Sanosuke wasn't even in the right time. When he was out of the picture, Miroku would take care of her. Until then, he would allow her to do the thing that he had always done, be with another person.  
  
"Oh my god!" Everyone turned to look at Yahiko who was staring into the sky. He didn't say anything else. He was too busy gawking. What were all those horrible things? They looked like snakes and lions put together. Some looked even worse. The only thing that made them all the same was that they were hideous. And there were so many of them. They were coming from the West, flying faster than Yahiko thought possible. They all seemed intent on one thing, the clearing.  
  
"Yahiko, protect Shippo!"  
  
"I don't need protecting Inuyasha!"  
  
"Shut up!" Inuyasha drew his sword, and it transformed into its full power. The demons came steadily closer and everyone else braced for battle as well. Sango held Hiraikotsu. Sanosuke drew the short sword. Miroku gripped his staff. Yahiko helped himself and Shippo into a small ditch and clutched on to his wooden sword. Kenshin stood next to Inuyasha, hand on the hilt of his weapon. The demons flew straight into them. No one stopped to say why they were there, if they could even speak. They just flew straight into an attack. Inuyasha was right, these demons didn't get knocked out. They kept coming until their heads came off. They fought until there was no more life in them. Kenshin was becoming frustrated at this fact. The demons didn't fall, just kept coming. He did the only thing he could. These were demons, mindless creatures. He could not help but turn his sword around. The clearing was a flurry of activity. Miroku saw Naraku's poison bees flying about. He whipped demon wards out, frying many. He hit the rest near him with his staff. Sanosuke was slashing his sword about, cutting anything that came near. He liked fighting without weapons better, but he had faced the same fact Kenshin had. Sango was airborne on Kirara. Hiraikotsu spun around madly, slicing many demons in its pass. They were all busy fighting. Too busy to see what Shippo and Yahiko saw. Too busy to notice the two men whose women were in danger. Too busy to see the remarkable similarities between them. But Shippo and Yahiko noticed. They were lucky no demons came at them in the small trench. They would have died because they could not break their gaze from Kenshin and Inuyasha. They both moved with an incredible speed. Their swords both took out many demons at once. They were each destroying more than all the others combined. But the most amazing thing was that they were doing it the same way. Yahiko and Shippo gawked as two forms jumped into the air and came down hard on the demons.  
  
"Tetsusaiga!"  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi style Tsui-sen!" 


	9. Reasons Why

Sanosuke looked around the clearing. There were pieces of demons everywhere. Bones, fangs, skin, legs. They all covered every inch of the clearing. In the middle of it all, two figures stood, swords still drawn. The men were breathing hard from exertion, matching each other breath for breath. Sanosuke thought it was eerie to watch them. Their stance was the same, and they were both staring outwards with bright golden eyes. It had been Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu that killed most of the demons, but Kenshin seemed to be covered in their blood as well. Sanosuke wondered why the hanyou even had Miroku and Sango traveling with him. As vulnerable as he had seemed the first night, now he could see it was not so. Inuyasha would be a formidable foe for anyone and could take care of himself. He fought to kill, and kill he did, as evidenced by the massacre around them. Sanosuke began to worry about Kenshin. Was he injured? How could he be all right with only his reverse blade sword? He looked at it while asking himself that question and gasped. In the afternoon sun, Kenshin's blade shone. The blade had been flipped.  
  
"Kenshin! How could you?" Sanosuke couldn't believe it. Why would Kenshin do such a thing? The red headed samurai looked hard at him with golden eyes. He closed them and shook his head vigorously.  
  
"You don't understand." His voice was quiet, full of regret and sadness. He looked at Sanosuke with soft violet eyes. They held an enormous amount of pain, shimmering just beneath the surface.  
  
"What don't I understand?" Sanosuke didn't mean to shout, but he did anyway. He was angry with Kenshin. He had no right to dismiss his questions like that.  
  
"How can I save her without killing? You fought these demons. You know it doesn't work that way." His voice remained quiet, despite Sanosuke's volume.  
  
"What about your vow?"  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"But, Kenshin..." He cut Sanosuke off. His patience was wearing thin. If Sanosuke really wanted to know his reasons for turning his sword around, he could have them.  
  
"But nothing. Don't you think that it's selfish to put Miss Kaoru's life in danger because of a promise I made to myself? If my selfishness cost her life, I could not continue with mine, that I could not. My atonement, my state of being, they don't matter without her. I live with the sins of my past everyday. I am confronted with them every time I see my face in the mirror. These scars remind me of a time when selfishness cost me dearly. That was the reason I did not want anyone close to me. Now it's too late. I failed someone once because of this selfishness, that I did. But never again. I will not lose another woman because I am worried about what's best for me!" Kenshin was truly upset, and Sanosuke was dumbfounded. All his other battles were not one's for Kaoru's life. The only one that came close almost ended in death. He would do anything for Kaoru, even if it meant going back to a man he didn't want to be. Her safety was all that mattered. It had been Inuyasha that showed him this, even though the hanyou didn't know it. He had told him to figure out how bad he wanted Kaoru back. How important was she? It was at that moment in the woods, staring at the grooves Tetsusaiga had made when he realized his selfishness. After Inuyasha had walked away, Kenshin had fallen to his knees and cried. He had known it was time to turn the blade, and it hurt. He did not want to be Battousai the Manslayer again. He wanted to be a wanderer. No, a dojo worker. Kaoru's dojo worker. But he couldn't do that without her.  
  
"Naraku is to the West." The silent group looked at Inuyasha. He had sheathed Tetsusaiga and was looking away from Kenshin.  
  
"Then West is the direction we will be going, that it is." Everyone quietly nodded.  
  
Naraku turned from the scene playing out before him in Kanna's mirror. He smiled to himself. Two foes now. It wasn't just Inuyasha anymore. This Kenshin person was out to get him too. His speed rivaled Inuyasha. Naraku looked toward the little room that housed the two women. The one in the blue had to be this Kaoru. He thought that very interesting. Suddenly Kagura burst through his door, breathless.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Urasue is here. She looked at the girls. She has something very important to tell you." 


	10. An Old Enemy Returns

Kagome looked at the doorway of the little room where she and Kaoru were being held in disbelief. The figure that had walked through the door had just revealed herself in the dim light. In front of them stood an old hag. Her gray hair was pulled back, and there was a smile on her wrinkled face. This made a chill run up Kagome's spine. She knew this woman. She haunted her dreams at night. She was the reason for most of the problems between her and Inuyasha. This woman was the one who brought Kikyo back. She had used bones and dirt to revive her. She had tried to steal Kagome's soul. Inuyasha being in danger had brought it back to her body though, leaving only hatred in Kikyo. But Kagome never really harbored ill feelings toward the old witch. She never had time. She had watched as her skin burned away and her body faded to dust. She was an afterthought. A prelude to her nightmares about Kikyo. Yet, this same woman now stood before her. How could this be possible?  
  
"But I watched you die." Kaoru snapped her head up at that. She had seen Kagome pale when this woman's features came into view, but she hadn't been sure why. Now it was clear.  
  
"I came back. Naraku resurrected me with my books and this shard. He said I could be useful." The shard in her back glittered to Kagome's eyes. Why would Naraku do such a thing? What use was Urasue really? Then both Kagome and Kaoru felt the heavy weight of evil enter the room. They knew it was Naraku without looking. Only his presence could make them feel like that.  
  
"What is it that you wanted to tell me, Urasue?" She turned expectantly toward him.  
  
"I have found something about these two that I thought was impossible. Lord Naraku, they share the same soul."  
  
"What?" He was shrouded in darkness so no one saw the stunned expression on his face.  
  
"They are two separate souls, but they are identical. I know it. Both of these women were once Kikyo."  
  
"But that cannot be. They must be different." Naraku thought the old hag was full of hot air. The rules of time and space made it so a soul could only exist by itself. There were no duplicate reincarnations.  
  
"I thought so too, but they are exact. I promise you this. I swear it." Naraku stared at the two bound women on the floor. They looked so similar. So like Kikyo as well. He had to trust the old hag. It was not possible for a demon to exist by taking in other demons, but there he stood. Urasue had dealt with souls her whole life. If any one knew about them, it was her.  
  
"Then continue with our plan. Take both of their souls."  
  
Yahiko stared over the campfire at the two sleeping figures. They had been traveling all day trying to find Kaoru and Kagome. Long after night fell, Hatchi got too tired to keep going and had demanded they rest. The tanuki was now sleeping behind him, snoring softly, along with Sanosuke, Sango and Miroku. Shippo was cuddled next to him. The two beyond the fire were the two who had argued most when Hatchi wanted to stop. Inuyasha could still smell Naraku and wanted to continue. Kenshin had agreed, but by then they were landed and their ride was fast asleep. Yahiko watched them in awe. They were prepared for battle even while they slumbered. The slept sitting cross- legged, sitting up, leaning over their swords. They seemed to be that way only because their bodies insisted upon it. Their minds and hearts wanted to be moving, continuing with their journey. It was obviously a dreamless sleep that could be broken at any moment. And they were the exact same way. Yahiko had seen Kenshin sleep that way before. It was not often, but he had seen it. Shippo stirred lightly at his side. Yahiko looked down at him. He felt bad, but he really needed to ask him a question.  
  
"Shippo, are you awake?"  
  
"I am now. What do you want?"  
  
"Does Inuyasha always sleep that way?" Shippo thought that was a very strange question to ask.  
  
"I've never seen him sleep any other way unless he was in the trees." Yahiko looked back at the men who now were looking back at him.  
  
"You need to be sleeping if you are to be of any help to us in finding Miss Kaoru, Yahiko." Kenshin's voice was quiet. It could barely be heard. Inuyasha's however was not.  
  
"So, shut up and sleep!" Yahiko winced as the angry hanyou glared at him.  
  
"Kenshin, can I ask you something first?"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Why do you sleep that way?" Kenshin looked at him confused.  
  
"I was taught to by the Hiten Mitsurugi style, that I was. It keeps your body ready to battle at any moment. Lying like that big oaf Sano leaves you vulnerable for attack."  
  
"Oh. I was just wondering."  
  
"That's fine. Now sleep. We have a lot to do in the morning, that we do." 


	11. Demons In the Morning

Morning was not going as expected for the flustered tanuki, Hatchi. He had wanted to have a leisurely breakfast before continuing his journey with Inuyasha, Kenshin, Sanosuke, Sango, Miroku, Yahiko, and Shippo. He didn't really mind carrying everybody, but he wanted to eat first. Instead he awoke to the sound of fighting. He had quickly scurried behind a tree to join Yahiko and Shippo. The three were all watching intently as the fight raged on. Miroku was spraying demon wards everywhere, and his staff flew around furiously. He was fighting with every ounce of anger he had at himself for letting Sango slip away from him. His attacks were becoming more and more heated. Sango flew above on Kirara. Hiraikotsu whipped through the air over and over. Pieces of the demons fell from the heavens like rain. A stray leg plopped beside Sanosuke, but he didn't notice. He was too busy slicing through everything that came near him. He fought the best way he knew how. Kick. Slash. Punch. Slash. He'd killed so many, yet they kept coming. But their efforts were nothing compared to the two men that first alerted them of the attack. Because of their light slumber, they were awake as soon as the demons neared.  
  
"Wow! He is so fast." Shippo was staring wide-eyed at Kenshin. His body and blade were moving so rapidly that it looked like there were three or four red headed samurais instead of just one.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Sho-Sen!" Twenty or thirty demons splayed away from him. His deadly blows having claimed them all.  
  
"So is Inuyasha. And he's very powerful too." Yahiko couldn't stop watching the white haired man as he swung his overly large blade around. The young swordsman couldn't fathom how he could wield such a large weapon. He could never even be able to pick it up, but the hanyou swung it around with one hand.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!" The signature yellow stripes of energy burst from his sword. He killed nearly a hundred demons with just that one swing. Miroku had talked about that power the first time Yahiko had witnessed it, and there it was again. That intense, overwhelming power. Soon the battle was over. There was not a live demon left besides Shippo and Hatchi. Everyone was panting from exertion. Everyone but Inuyasha. He stood straight up and looked over the trees.  
  
"More are coming." He got into an aggressive stance and the rest of them followed suit. Sanosuke stood near Sango, sword held in front of him. He watched as the distant specks that were demons drew closer.  
  
"How can there be more of them? We killed so many all ready." The hoard of demons must have numbered hundreds, and it was coming steadily closer. When they arrived though, they did not attack directly. They hovered behind a woman with black hair who held on to a fan. Her red eyes made Sanosuke shiver. They were full of an emotion that he could not read. She landed gently when she jumped from a large feather and stared at Inuyasha.  
  
"Kagura!" Kenshin's eyes narrowed when Inuyasha said that name. This was the woman who had taken Kaoru from him. It was her fault he was killing again. It was her fault Kaoru might be in pain. It was she that caused him to go back on his promise to himself, which might hurt Kaoru even more than Naraku ever could.  
  
"Where are Miss Kaoru and Miss Kagome?" His anger surprised the female demon. She didn't even know who this man was. He glared at her with bright yellow eyes that burned with hate. He was gripping his sheathed sword so tightly his knuckles were white.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Where are they?" Inuyasha demanded she give up the answer before letting Kenshin respond to her question. She didn't need to know who he was.  
  
"Naraku has them at his castle." Kenshin took a step closer to her.  
  
"What has he done to them?" A wicked smile played across her face. She could smell the fear in him. She knew it wasn't her that was inspiring it, but the possible pain of the other woman she had stolen. This Miss Kaoru was obviously very important to the short human before her. Kagura liked the feeling of being in control. She was destined to obey every whim of Naraku. She liked having power over someone else.  
  
"Well, last I heard, he was going to remove their souls. Apparently they share one. Isn't that crazy? When their souls leave their bodies, Naraku will be able to give Kikyo her soul back. The part of him that is Onigumo still cries out for her. He wants her to really live again." Inuyasha's face contorted with anger. He couldn't do that to Kagome. That soul was hers now, not Kikyo's. Kenshin's face, however, did not show the anger he felt. It became more steeled as his eyes seared with emotions he didn't show. Yahiko looked at him, frightened.  
  
"Kenshin, what are we going to do?" Kenshin made no move to respond, and Kagura laughed.  
  
"I suggest you run." With that she raised a pointed finger at the group, and demons swarmed from behind her. They were hungry for blood. Everyone began fighting again as she tried to slip away. Sanosuke noticed and yelled to Inuyasha and Kenshin between slashes.  
  
"Go after her. We'll take care of things here." The two men complied, anxious to continue after Kagura. They had to find out where the castle was. As they disappeared from sight, the fight raged on. Sango and Miroku killed with their unorthodox weapons, and Sanosuke swung his sword around. He was no swordsman though, and soon the blade was knocked from his hands. He just kept on fighting. All the three behind the tree could do was gape at him. It was true demons did not get knocked out. They fought until they died. So Sanosuke killed them. His bare, bandaged hands slammed into their spines with such force it broke them in two. Over and over he destroyed them. His hands eventually started to bleed from the armored, scaly backs he was breaking. But he did not stop. He couldn't stop. He wasn't fighting for himself. He was fighting for Kaoru. He was fighting for Kenshin. He could not let his best friend down by not keeping his word. He said he would take care of things and, by God, he would. But it was becoming harder. Strength was fading from him fast. Then he heard a voice behind him. Against the tree where Yahiko, Shippo, and Hatchi were hiding was Miroku. Sango and Kirara stood behind him.  
  
"Sanosuke! Hurry and get behind me." The tall man scrambled to the monk. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he didn't care. His hands were raw from his efforts, and he barely had the force available to kill any more. Miroku stepped in front of them and braced himself.  
  
"Stand back!" He began to remove the rosary from his right wrist.  
  
"But Miroku, the bees!" Sango was genuinely worried. She knew what happened when the poisonous insects entered him. She knew of the devastation to his body. He knew too. But he ignored her cries. He opened his palm.  
  
"Kazanna!" Suddenly, to Sanosuke and Yahiko's amazement, a wind tunnel formed in his hand. It was pulling in all of the demons. Miroku was slowly sliding back because of the force, but remained steadfast. The bees flew right into him and he fell to his knees. He refused to close his hand, though, until all the demons were gone. But when he did, he fell to the ground.  
  
"Miroku!" The little party ran to him and helped him up. He breathed hard but insisted he would be fine. Soon they were back on Hatchi and searching for Inuyasha and Kenshin. Yahiko crawled toward the monk as they flew through the air.  
  
"That's an amazing power you have there, Miroku. You must be really lucky to have such a weapon." The monk opened and closed his fist a few times while staring into the purple cloth. He chuckled lightly because he couldn't think of any thing else to do. Yahiko thought his power was awesome. He didn't understand the curse that came with it. He was surprised when Miroku replied very softly.  
  
"Yeah, real lucky." 


	12. Fall of the Wind

Kenshin had never run so fast in his entire life. He'd run from armies. He'd run from assassins. He'd run from a myriad of people whose only goal in life was to kill him. But he'd never run like this. His muscles burned, and still he was just barely keeping up with the white haired man in front of him. He ignored the pain. He had to get to Kaoru. He had to save her. They couldn't lose track of Kagura. But it was becoming more and more difficult. Inuyasha was almost out of sight. He seemed to never get tired. His body moved naturally in ways that Kenshin had trained for years to achieve, and still hadn't been able to. He ran blindly and bumped hard into the hanyou who was standing at a complete stop in front of him.  
  
"Get on my back." Kenshin was thoroughly confused.  
  
"What?" Inuyasha knelt down to make it easier for Kenshin to get on him.  
  
"You are too slow, and you're burning up all your energy running. How will you fight with no energy? Now get on my back!" Inuyasha made it very clear by his tone of voice that it was not an option. Kenshin clambered on to him, and he began racing in the direction Kagura flew again. Kenshin was startled at the speed at which they were moving. Everything whizzed by in a blur. He wasn't moving this fast a while ago was he? Kenshin realized that he had been holding back. The speed that Kenshin had been marveling at was Inuyasha holding back. This was the true power of the half demon. And he was moving like this with a samurai on his back. It blew Kenshin's mind. After what seemed like forever, they stopped. Kenshin got down and saw Kagura standing nonchalantly in front of them. She had her arms crossed and was holding her fan closed. Kenshin couldn't understand why she was just standing there in the middle of the forest. Also there seemed to be an eerie purple glow behind her.  
  
"Out of the way, Kagura!" Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga. He held it toward her. Kenshin almost gawked. Inuyasha's long run had no effect on him at all. The man's stamina was incredible. Why was he telling her to move anyway? Didn't he need her to find the castle?  
  
"You know I can't do that, Inuyasha." She held out the hand with the fan and slowly let it drop open. She pulled it close to her face, then threw her arm outward toward the men.  
  
"Fuujin no Mai!" Suddenly blades appeared out of the air and struck the ground hard. Inuyasha easily jumped out of the way and turned quickly to save Kenshin who he was sure was injured. But Kenshin stood a few feet away from where they had stood. He also had dodged the attack. His face was unshowing of any emotion, but his eyes burned with hate.  
  
"Where are they?" Kagura smiled. She thought it was really funny that the slight red headed man hadn't figured it out. She raised her fan again.  
  
"Ruujya no Mai!" Tornadoes burst forth. They swirled around, and Inuyasha had to jump several times to get away from them. Kenshin however, didn't. He moved quickly to Kagura's side. He looked up into her red eyes. He saw the emotion Sanosuke couldn't recognize swirling in them. He knew it though. He knew it all too well. There was despair there. Her eyes seemed to yell that they were sorry. That she didn't want to be doing this. They begged for release. For freedom. Kenshin's grip tightened on his sword. He had killed many demons in the past few days, but they could not articulate. They were like animals. Kagura had speech. She had emotion. She lived like a person, and as much as he hated her, he did not want to kill her. She looked at him forlornly.  
  
"Fuujin no Mai!" The blades whipped toward him again, and he easily dodged them.  
  
"Where are they, Kagura?" He had to know. He had to save Kaoru.  
  
"Keh! I know where they are! Get out of the way, Kagura!" Inuyasha charged forward with Tetsusaiga.  
  
"Ruujya no Mai!" He was blown back. He couldn't dodge the swirling winds and hit her at the same time. Kenshin looked right at her. He was close enough to do it. Inuyasha knew where the girls were. He didn't need any more answers from her. But still, a piece of him was begging for his sword to stay put. Think of Kaoru! Think of your vow! Then Kenshin took a hard look into Kagura's bright red eyes and knew his decision was made. He ran close to her with dizzying speed and clutched tighter to his sword. As he came within feet of her, she didn't raise her fan. It wasn't because Kenshin was too fast. She was a demon after all. She could have hit him with three attacks in the time it took him to come forward. The last thing he saw before he drew his sword was a new flood of emotion in those eyes. Relief. Relief and gratitude. Her eyes thanked him for what she knew was coming. Thanked him for setting her free. His blade flipped.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Kan-Sen!"  
  
Inuyasha stared in disbelief as the bodiless head of Kagura rolled to his feet. Kenshin stood next to the rest of her with his head drooped. He had done it. He knew she wanted him to, but it was still hard. The pain in his eyes when he looked at Inuyasha nearly stopped him in his tracks. He was going over to congratulate him. Kagura was not an easy foe to dispatch. He had tried many times and failed. But Kenshin did not look proud, or even happy. He looked like it was his best friend lying there decapitated next to him. He sighed heavily and spoke very softly.  
  
"You said you know where they are." Inuyasha just nodded. He was too stunned by Kenshin's reactions to do anything else. He lifted Tetsusaiga, and it flooded with a red color.  
  
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha ignored his question and brought down the sword.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!" Suddenly, the purple glow dissipated. What appeared to be more forest behind it disappeared too. In its place was a large compound. A castle. Kenshin's mouth hung open.  
  
"It was a barrier, wim- I mean Kenshin." Inuyasha didn't feel like the silly nickname was appropriate any longer. Kenshin was a lot of things, but wimpy wasn't one of them. Kenshin turned his head to meet Inuyasha's golden eyes.  
  
"Miss Kaoru and Miss Kagome are in there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get them." 


	13. Heartbreaking Discovery

It had been over an hour since Sango had watched Inuyasha and Kenshin disappear into the forest, and she was beginning to get worried. They had been following Inuyasha's distinct trail, and it seemed to just keep going. Kirara was fixed on his scent and was continuing above the treetops. Sango watched the ground for flecks of white or orange that could be their missing comrades. She was holding lightly on to the bloodied, bandaged hands around her waist. She was so amazed at Sanosuke. She had never seen a human kill even one demon with their bare hands before, yet he had killed many. She hadn't noticed his fighting skills at first. She was too busy fighting off her own demons. But when his sword flew by her after being knocked from his hands, she had been prepared to swoop down and rescue him, only to find that he didn't need rescuing. He had held his own without a weapon against the demons. She had nearly been knocked off of Kirara while watching him. She had been so distracted. She was similarly distracted now. Sanosuke was leaning gently against her, still trying to regain some of the strength he had used. She could feel the contrast between the warmth of his breath and the chill of the air. She was tenderly stroking with her thumb the hands that had battled alongside her. She couldn't help but imagine what those rough hands would feel like against the softness of her skin. How sweet those lips must taste that were breathing against her neck. As annoying as Miroku's actions were, she found herself silently wishing that Sanosuke would act like him just once and touch her in the way she so desperately wanted. She had never felt so physically attracted to any one else before. She became so involved with her daydreaming that she almost missed what was below her.  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
Miroku watched from Hatchi's back as Kirara took a sharp turn and headed toward the ground.  
  
"Hatchi, follow them!"  
  
"I can't! I can't turn that fast." Hatchi began to make what was to Miroku an agonizingly slow turn. He drifted downward, and close to the ground, he reverted to his true form. Miroku sprinted through the woods to catch up with Sango and Sanosuke. Had they found Inuyasha and Kenshin? When he came upon a little creek, he saw what he had wanted to see least. Sango was kneeling on the ground, and Sanosuke had his arms wrapped comfortingly around her. She was shaking with tears, and he was gently smoothing her hair in an effort to calm her. Miroku felt a twinge of jealousy tug at his heart. He wondered why he hadn't just pulled Sanosuke into his kazanna along with the demons instead of rescuing him. Then it would be him holding the sweet demon slayer. She would be sobbing in his chest, begging for reassurance. Then he caught a glimpse as to why this scene was even taking place at all. All the angry thoughts he held against Sanosuke got pushed to the back of his mind as he looked at what lay beside Sango. It was a young boy with jet-black hair. He looked fine except for the fact that he wasn't breathing, and there was a small hole in his back where something had obviously been removed. He was soaked from head to toe. Judging by the similar state of Sango, it was her that had pulled him from the tiny river. Miroku stared at the boy in the short purple yukata and placed a cloth-covered hand over his mouth. Sango continued weeping as she pulled Sanosuke impossibly closer.  
  
"Oh God! Why? Kohaku!"  
  
Kagome's heart beat wildly as she felt the familiar ooze of the green liquid that surrounded her. She knew what this liquid was supposed to do, and she fought hard to keep her soul within her. She wasn't going through this again. She'd already lost her soul twice. It wasn't a pleasant experience. But it was so difficult to keep the horrible concoction from doing its job. She could barely hear the voices above her.  
  
"She's holding on quite well."  
  
"Of course she is you old witch. She's been there before. Surprisingly the other one is too. That's okay they won't be able to hold out much longer. Especially not when I tell them what's going on." Naraku walked carefully over to the tub that Kagome was lying in. He looked at her over the edge and watched as she shuddered when she saw his face.  
  
"Kagome, how hard it must be to stay there like that. You know it would be so much easier for everyone if you'd just do what you're supposed to. Then I can give your soul back to who it belongs. Inuyasha's true love, Kikyo." Kagome's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the hated name. It was just long enough for her soul to escape the confines of her body. It hovered above her, unsure of what to do. Naraku smiled and walked over to Kaoru's tub.  
  
"And you Miss... Kaoru I believe it was? I heard that name when I was watching a red headed human who is tagging along with Inuyasha. He spoke it right after killing some of my best demons. I never knew a human could kill so many, but he did. He is heartless indeed. Truly a killing machine." Naraku watched as Kaoru's soul burst forth from her. Kenshin killing was too much for her. He had known it would be. His insects that showed the world in Kanna's mirror had given him that information. He stepped back and looked at his handiwork. He was thoroughly pleased with himself. Now he could give Kikyo real life again. A part of him begged for that. It wanted nothing more but for Kikyo to be happy and alive. And with him. He was surprised when Urasue gasped. He looked at the wrinkled old woman.  
  
"What is it?" She pointed to the souls that had begun to move. They circled around each other in their brilliant white light. Their spinning became faster and faster, and they moved closer and closer, until they merged solidly into one soul.  
  
"I told you they were the same." Naraku glared at her.  
  
"How could this have happened?"  
  
"There can't be two souls on one plane of existence. Time and space won't allow it. When they were trapped inside the girls' bodies, they could not get out to merge together, but we released them. So they became one again."  
  
"Oh well, it doesn't matter. Kikyo only needs one soul. All she has to do is be near the released soul, and it will rush into her right?"  
  
"Yes. That's the final step." Naraku glared at the old woman.  
  
"Good." With swift hands, he ripped the shard in her back out. Her face contorted and she fell fading again to dust and ashes. Naraku placed the shard in with the jewel he had. Only three pieces left. Only three more shards to make the power complete. Suddenly, a disturbance brought his attention away from the small pink ball.  
  
"Kanna! Gather some demons. The barrier has just been broken!" 


	14. Final Battle

Even in the mid day sun, the castle was dark. It was surrounded by an evil energy that could only be produced by Naraku. It made Kenshin involuntarily shiver. He was running behind Inuyasha. They were trying to find the women they were missing so much. Kenshin surveyed the death around him, and worried about Kaoru. As soon as Inuyasha had broken the barrier, they hadn't taken more then three steps inside before a hoard of demons attacked. The men quickly dispatched them, and they had continued on their way. It seemed that every few moments a new wave of the hideous minions would come to stop their journey. But they were nearing the main structure of the building. The women had to be close.  
  
"We're almost there!" Inuyasha was ready. He could smell Naraku and the soft scent of Kagome. Just a few more yards and he could rescue her. He slammed through the door barring his way and stopped dead in his tracks. Kenshin followed suit as they stared forward into the long dim room. Naraku was standing nonchalantly in the corner. He walked slowly toward them and relished in the reaction he was seeing. Inuyasha looked as though he would destroy the first thing that came near him, and Kenshin had once again retreated behind the mask of apathy. Inuyasha was obviously disturbed by the sight he was witnessing. The small ball of light that was Kagome and Kaoru's merged souls hovered helplessly above them. Their bodies remained submerged in the soul sucking liquid. The hanyou began to run toward the women.  
  
"Kagome!" Suddenly he was knocked back. Naraku smiled as a long tentacle returned to his body. Inuyasha glared at him.  
  
"Did you really think I would let them go that easily? I need that soul. And I need your remaining shards." Inuyasha slashed at the appendages flying at him. He wanted to do his Kaze no Kizu attack, but the girls were too close. If he unleashed that power now, he could kill them. Naraku laughed at Inuyasha's futile attempts to defeat him without using Tetsusaiga's true power. But it was cut short as he watched a blur streak by him. He felt as all the pieces of his body that were heading toward the half demon were sliced cleanly off. Kenshin glared at him. His amber eyes were powerful and would have stopped a lesser being in their tracks. But Naraku was no lesser being. He would destroy the red headed samurai along with the hated hanyou.  
  
"That was not a very good idea." Kenshin's face didn't change when Naraku said those words. If he was scared, he didn't show it.  
  
"It was wrong of you to take Miss Kaoru and Miss Kagome away. If you let them go, I will kill you quickly as opposed to making you suffer for longer." Laughter filled the room. The short human truly thought that he could dispatch Naraku so easily? Naraku resolved to change his opinion. He lashed out at the men over and over, constantly being pushed back. Even without utilizing his true power, Inuyasha was still a formidable opponent. And Kenshin moved faster than any human he had ever seen. If Naraku hadn't had the sense of smell possessed by all demons, he would have sworn that the slight man was a demon himself. Naraku changed tactics and began hurling energy at the men. They dodged, sometimes more easily than others. He flew at them in frustration, reverting to his true and horrific form. Appendages and tentacles splayed from everywhere. The men realized that there was no way they could avoid them all. They braced for the impact. But it never came. Instead they heard a whirring sound of something large spinning, and a welcome voice.  
  
"Hiraikotsu!" The pieces of Naraku came off quickly, separated from their host by the enormous boomerang. Inuyasha and Kenshin were overjoyed to see everyone there. From the lecherous monk to the young apprentice of the Kamiya Kasshin style, each and every one of their companions were there to help them. Sango caught her weapon. Inuyasha yelled toward them.  
  
"Get the girls out of that stuff!" Yahiko, Shippo, and Miroku hurried to comply. Sango and Sanosuke, once again armed with his sword, hurried next to Inuyasha and Kenshin. Naraku glared at them. They began fighting again. It became a frenzy. Pieces of Naraku were everywhere. In a matter of minutes, both Sango and Sanosuke were away from the battle, Miroku and Shippo tending their wounds. Yahiko was over the girls, trying to wake them up. He didn't realize that the shimmering ball of light above him was their extracted souls. All that was left was what it began with, Kenshin, Inuyasha and Naraku. They were fighting harder than before. Each seemed to be running on some kind of fuel that was not apparent to the others. There were slashes, stabs, claws, jabs. Every moment was another attack. Shippo stood helplessly watching. He was so worried about Inuyasha and Kagome. He turned his head, and Naraku caught a glimpse of something around his neck.  
  
"The shards!" The evil demon lunged for them. He fully expected to retrieve them, complete the sacred jewel, and be rid of Inuyasha and his comrades forever. But that's not what happened. He did not get more than a few feet closer when he felt something attack him. This attack was stronger than the previous ones the little human had dealt out. This attack would have been fatal on anything else.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ku-Zu-Ryu-Sen!" Inuyasha watched in amazement. Kenshin's sword flew from nine different angles seemingly simultaneously. Each blow struck directly. Then he watched as Naraku seethed with anger. He threw Kenshin back so he was behind Inuyasha. The girls were a safe distance away, no longer directly in the path of his attacks, so the white haired man unleashed one.  
  
"Kaze no Kizu!" The power surged through Naraku's body. He looked like he would fall over any second. Inuyasha knew he wouldn't though. He watched the sickening smile cross the demon's face. Hey seemed to be gathering energy for something. Soon a ball of demon energy formed in his hand. It began to grow bigger and bigger. Inuyasha held Tetsusaiga ready. He would destroy Naraku now. This was his last chance. He had to get to Kagome. Naraku raised the energy and turned. Something knotted in the pit of the hanyou's stomach as he realized what was happening. This deadly power wasn't going to be turned on him. It was directed toward the rest of the party. Specifically the two soulless women. Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He couldn't get there to protect Kagome in time. He couldn't stop Naraku either. He had never felt so helpless in his life than at that split second. Naraku was about to release his attack when an angry voice was heard.  
  
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Amekakeru Ryuu No Hirameki!" The force of Kenshin's blow caused Naraku to fly back toward Inuyasha as he let go of the energy. It was released with fantastic speed toward him.  
  
"Everyone get down! Bakuryuuha!"  
  
A little girl stopped as her mentor did. They had been walking along peacefully when he stilled and looked up at the sky. He felt like a sudden weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. The evil that had plagued his lands for fifty years was finally eradicated. Even the air smelled sweeter. The small girl looked up at him as he gazed into the sky. She tugged gently on the white cloth he wore.  
  
"Lord Sesshoumaru, is everything okay?" Her eyes were full of concern.  
  
"Everything is fine now, Rin. Just fine." She smiled and hurried back toward Jaken to play. As long as he said everything was fine, then it was. The tall white haired demon felt something tugging at the corners of his lips. A very rare and very tiny smile crept onto face. He spoke aloud to the sky very softly, knowing no one else could hear.  
  
"You've finally done it, brother." He turned and went toward Rin. Her kidnapping had been avenged. He had no need to continue in the direction he was heading. He felt that perhaps home would be a better destination for the time being. 


	15. Power of the Jewel

Inuyasha clung desperately to Kagome's lifeless body. He watched her soul dart around above them. His Bakuryuuha had destroyed Naraku, and the first thing he had done was run to her side. He pressed her small form close to him. He felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. All the worry that he had caught up with him. For the past few days, he hadn't had time to worry. He had been too busy fighting off demons and trying to reach her side to have time to be upset. But now all he had were his worries. He clutched her like she was a lifeline. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. That he cared about her more than anything. That he needed her. That he loved her. But that's not what came out of his mouth. All he could do was beg.  
  
"Please come back to me, Kagome." His soft plea fell on deaf ears. Her eyes were open but unseeing. They were glazed over and lacked her usual spark. They lacked any spark whatsoever. He was beseeching an empty shell. There was nothing there to respond to him at all. Sango and Miroku watched sadly, but Shippo couldn't. He couldn't witness the scene. It broke his small heart. It hurt too much to see. He wandered over to where the battle had been barely moments before. In the middle of the smoking pile of remains that was Naraku, something lay forgotten. Shippo reached out a tentative hand. He could feel the shards around his neck reacting. The jewel wanted to be whole again. The small kitsune placed the shards on the jewel and watched in amazement as they melded together. The jewel was complete. The power coming from it was incredible. He ran to Inuyasha's side holding out the little glass ball.  
  
"Inuyasha, look!" Inuyasha gave a reluctant glance at Shippo. He didn't want to take his eyes off of Kagome. He turned back toward the girl without acknowledging Shippo's find.  
  
"Please, Kagome. Please come back." He buried his face in her hair. Shippo tugged at him. What was he doing? This was what he had been searching for so long.  
  
"Inuyasha, the jewel is whole." Inuyasha lifted his head angrily. He glared at Shippo like he had threatened his life. He let go of Kagome with one hand for just a moment to knock the jewel away. It tinkled down the floor and rolled to a stop. Inuyasha looked at it distastefully.  
  
"I don't care about the stupid jewel anymore! I just want Kagome back! What's the point in using the jewel if I can't be happy? I need Kagome to be happy!" Suddenly, the body in his arms arched. The soul flew straight into it, and her tiny mouth took a deep breath.  
  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha held her. She looked back up at him. The spark had returned.  
  
"Inuyasha, you said you needed me to be happy."  
  
"I do." She returned his embrace and pressed her forehead against his. She playfully kissed the end of his nose. He couldn't help himself after that. She was so close, so willing. He gathered her lips to his in a soul-searing kiss. She could feel the warmth of it all the way down to her toes. He released her after a moment and looked into her eyes.  
  
"How do you feel? Are you okay?" She looked up at him happily. He had kissed her. He had done it all on his own.  
  
"I'm fine. I feel so, so complete." She struggled to find the last word. Complete was the only one that fit. She felt full and happy. She felt warm and safe. She felt loved. Shippo hurried over to her, once again carrying the jewel they had worked so hard to reassemble. She delicately took it from his hand. The ball was instantly purified. She smiled and placed it in Inuyasha's palm. She closed his fingers around it.  
  
"This is yours. I'm sorry I broke it." He squeezed her again and stood up. He was ready to use the power of the jewel. Kagome stared up at him. She was harboring a little fear. She was worried that he would use it to become a full demon, just like he always wanted to. Since the first day she met him, that's what he had dreamed of. But Inuyasha had no such plans for the jewel. He had realized over time that there was something more important in his life. Something beautiful that smelled of wildflowers. Something he needed more than full demonhood. He clutched the ball. He smelled the air hard, savoring the scents. After all, these were the last moment he was going to be able to smell them. He looked down at his claws and his white hair. He twitched the ears on his head. He was going to give it all up. He was ready to be vulnerable every day. He was going to become human. He would do that for Kagome. So she could live out her days by his side. Human husband and human wife. He didn't care where or in what time period. He just wanted to be with her. He exhaled slowly and prepared to make his wish. Then Kagome's soft voice stopped him.  
  
"Oh my God." He looked over to her. Her attention was fixed on something a few feet away from her. Something small with bright orange hair. It was Kenshin. His head was hanging low over Kaoru's still motionless body. He couldn't understand why Kagome was okay, but Kaoru still lay limp in his arms. He trembled as he pushed back the stray hairs from her face. No one had ever seen him so upset. Not even the consciousless girl. Kagome placed her small hand over her mouth. She knew why Kaoru was still soulless. Kaoru's soul had merged with hers. She could feel it inside her. Especially when she looked at Kenshin. She could feel the love for him pounding through her veins. Kenshin looked up. His gaze rested squarely on Inuyasha. No one else even got a glance. The hanyou nearly flinched as their eyes met. Kenshin's were violet again, and they held an enormous amount of pain that Inuyasha could barely comprehend. After all, his love had woken up. Her lips kissed back when he pressed against them. Had it not been for his demon hearing, he probably would have missed the samurai's hushed words.  
  
"I don't believe she is coming back like Miss Kagome, Inuyasha, that I don't." Then his head dropped again, and everyone watched the tears drip off of his chin. Sanosuke grabbed on to Sango and held her tightly. He couldn't even begin to imagine Kenshin's pain. Inuyasha looked on dumbly. He turned his glance from the grief stricken manslayer to Kagome, then back again. His face locked. He had made a decision. He gripped the jewel in his hands and mumbled words no one could hear. Suddenly, a small wisp of white came out of Kagome's mouth. She watched, stunned as it floated toward the couple. Kenshin looked down at Kaoru's features, now wet with his tears. Her body arched up, catching him off guard. Slowly, her lids fluttered open. She looked deeply into his eyes.  
  
"Kenshin?" Kenshin grabbed her close and pressed into her lips. He had been so scared. Kagome smiled at them then looked at Inuyasha who was still standing next to her. A single tear was making its way down his cheek. His clawed hands hung loosely at his sides. They were empty. The jewel was gone. 


	16. Warrior's Love

It was only just becoming evening, and the crisp cool air was biting her face. She looked at the sky as she traveled along to do a duty she couldn't bear. The stars were beginning to peek out. They shined back at her like so many forgotten diamonds. She was almost home. Almost to the place where she had to bury the last member of her family. It had been hard at Naraku's palace. She had no problems fighting him. She had to avenge her brother. Death was not a big deal as long as he died along with her. It was what happened afterward. She had never seen so much love between people. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other like the Gods would strike them down if they dared look away. And then there was Kenshin and Kaoru. The relief that spread over his face when she woke up was remarkable. He had kissed her and kissed her. Then he had confessed his love, right there in front of everybody. He had said he'd been thinking about it for a long time. He had never had the courage to tell her how he felt. Never had the strength to ask her what he needed to.  
  
"Miss Kaoru, I love you with all my heart. I would be a great honor if you would allow this unworthy one to spend the rest of his days with you, that it would." Kenshin never received an answer just a flurry of kisses. Kaoru had looked so happy. It broke Sango's heart. She had felt the tears start to well up in her eyes, then the strong hands of Sanosuke wrap around her waist. She had cried into his chest then. She hadn't known him for very long, but his presence made her feel a little better. After they all left the hated palace, she immediately started for her old village with Kohaku's body. Sanosuke had insisted on coming as well. That's where she was now. Nearing her old abandoned village with a fighter from another time and her brother's body. The world was heavy on her shoulders, and her grief was great. When they reached the village, neither one of them spoke. They walked silently over to the other graves with Sanosuke carrying the lifeless boy. Sango picked up a spade and began to dig. Sanosuke soon followed her. After a while, the grave had been dug, and Sango tenderly placed her brother into it.  
  
"Buried for the second time brother. But now you are home. Rest peacefully." She carefully gathered some dirt and dropped it onto him. Then emotions overtook her, and she broke down. Going through the death of her family for a second time was proving to be too much for her. Every inch of her body shook with her sobs. How could she bury her brother? Sanosuke gently scooped her up and walked toward a small hut.  
  
"What are you doing?" She could barely see him through her tears. Just his brown hair and the red tie that held it back.  
  
"You need to rest, Missy." He laid her down on a mat carefully then exited the hut. She stared after him in disbelief before succumbing to the fatigue that had been plaguing her all day. When she awoke, she found herself still lying in the hut. She was covered by something warm that smelled of the forest and blood. It was a white jacket with the symbol for "evil" on the back. It was his. Sanosuke was leaned up against the wall sleeping. His arms were crossed over his bare chest in an effort to warm himself. Sango stared at him in awe. He had given up his jacket for her. She glanced out the window. It was still dark. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and reveled in the feeling of it. It was almost like he was embracing her. She held herself and watched the slumbering man. His chest was rising and falling evenly. His unruly brown hair hung all over the place. Sango slowly crawled toward him. She reached a timid hand up and ran her fingers through it. It reminded her of Kirara's fur, course and soft all at once. It was a pleasant feeling. The man sighed and slowly opened his eyes to meet hers. They said nothing for a moment.  
  
"Thank you." Her voice was barely a whisper.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For fighting with me, for burying my brother, for holding me when I needed it, for your jacket, for everything."  
  
"Oh, you're welcome." Suddenly she was in his arms. He kissed her fiercely, and she kissed back. They turned to reckless abandon as his jacket fell from her shoulders. They quickly lost the rest of their clothes and began to relish each other's bodies. They touched and kissed everything. Sanosuke carried her back over to the mat and lay with her. They made love. It was her first time, but it didn't matter. It was wild and natural. They did what they felt was right. It wasn't the beautiful union of two soft untouched bodies but the love of warriors. Scars and fresh wounds littered their skin. They fought for dominance just as they had fought for their lives. Everything was untamed. They held nothing back from each other. Had any other person been in the village, they would have been worried because of all the noise coming from the little hut. After what seemed to her like too short a time, Sango laid snuggled in Sanosuke's strong arms. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her back. The last thought that came to her mind before sleep took her was how his rough hands felt better than she had imagined.  
  
Miroku sat at the campfire between Inuyasha and Kenshin. Kaoru, Shippo, and Kagome were at the hot springs, and Yahiko was asleep at their feet. They had spent the evening talking about all sorts of things. Now the conversation had turned to the female demon slayer.  
  
"I have never seen a woman as strong as Miss Sango."  
  
"Keh! That's cause there aren't any others." Inuyasha poked the small fire with a stick.  
  
"I sure hope that she'll be all right by herself. I know Sanosuke's with her though. Still I can't help but worry, that I can't." Miroku thought of Sango as they were speaking. He tuned out the rest of the conversation. Kenshin and Inuyasha spoke, and he just thought. Thought of how beautiful Sango was when she was fighting. Thought of the softness of her skin he had so often stolen a touch of. Thought of how she had cried in Sanosuke's arms. Thought of how flushed her face became when the strong man touched her. He was broken from his reverie by Inuyasha.  
  
"Miroku? Aren't you listening to anything we're saying?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure she'll be fine." Neither man detected the sadness in his voice. They were too busy being confused. What was he talking about? The conversation had shifted to how to get Kenshin and everyone else home. 


	17. Confession

The sun had just started to crest over the horizon and most of the small village was asleep. One hanyou, though, was not. He was sitting on a low branch in his favorite tree looking at his hands. He had been awake for a few hours. The sound of Sanosuke and Sango arriving from their trip to the demon slayer's abandoned village had roused him. He did not speak to them when they arrived though. He could smell on them the reason they had taken so long and thought it best to keep to himself. But since then he wasn't able to return to his slumber. He was too busy thinking. He curled his hands into a fist, then stretched them out. He watched the early morning light glint off the edges of his claws. He hung his head. This was not the way it was supposed to be. He shouldn't have been sleeping up in the tree. He should have been by Kagome's side. He should have been in her arms. They should have been spending their first night together as lovers. As human lovers. But instead he sat in his usual resting place in his usual body. Kagome hadn't said a word about the kiss or embrace he gave her and neither had he. It was like it had never even happened, and Inuyasha was too proud to bring it up. He had the ultimate plan to show his love to her, but it hadn't worked out. He was too unhappy to think up another one. His head lifted as a scent crossed his nose. He wondered to himself why she was awake so early, but he ignored it assuming she wasn't looking for him. Then she reached the tree, and her soft voice floated up through the branches to him.  
  
"Inuyasha?" He looked down at her. She did look remarkably like Kagome. She seemed more feminine in a way though. She had changed back into her pink kimono after Kenshin washed it for her. He had said he liked the way she looked in it. She was gazing up into the tree, trying to pick out Inuyasha's form. He jumped down to meet her.  
  
"What do you want?" His words took her off guard. He was gruff.  
  
"I just wanted to talk with you."  
  
"Fine. Talk." He sat down cross-legged on the grass, and she kneeled down gently beside him. She was silent for a moment. She needed to find the right words.  
  
"Well, are you gonna say something or what?" She looked into his eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"I just wanted to thank you, Inuyasha." He cocked an eyebrow at her.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For saving me. I know you had other plans for that jewel. Kagome told me."  
  
"Keh! She doesn't know anything." He tried to keep his rough exterior up.  
  
"Oh, I know that's not true. She told me at the hot springs today. She said that ever since she met you, you've been trying to use the jewel to become a full demon. It must have been really hard to give that up for me. You don't even really know me."  
  
"How can she be so stupid?" Kaoru was surprised at his forceful tone. What was he talking about? She was trying to thank him for saving her, and he was calling her stupid.  
  
"Excuse me, I'm not stupid."  
  
"Not you! Don't worry about it. You're welcome. Now go back to the hut." He began to stand to walk away, but Kaoru grabbed his arm to stop him. She was not going to let anybody, even a hanyou, just walk away from her. He stared down at her in disbelief as she held tightly to his arm.  
  
"Then who is?" Inuyasha jerked his arm from her. He didn't want to talk to her about it. He turned to jump back into the tree when something slammed him in the head. It was a branch from a nearby tree that had fallen some time before. Kaoru had picked it up and hit him with it.  
  
"What did you do that for?"  
  
"Because I wasn't done talking to you. Please sit down and answer my question." Inuyasha glared at her. She acted like Kagome too.  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Because I deserve to know. I'm trying to thank you, and you're calling somebody stupid. Please just talk to me. I won't let any one else know what you say." He grudgingly returned to his seat beside her. He looked hard into her eyes. He let down the mask that he used to cover his emotions, and she was shocked as the pain surfaced there.  
  
"Kagome."  
  
"What?" She was breathless. She had become so focused on his eyes and the intensity of them that she had forgotten her question.  
  
"Kagome is the stupid one."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because she told you I wanted to be a full demon. She just doesn't get it." Kaoru was confused.  
  
"But, isn't that what you've always said to her?" Inuyasha hung his head. What else could she have thought? He'd never said anything else to her.  
  
"Yes." His pathetic position frightened Kaoru. She had never felt any fear of him before. Something inside her said he was okay. He wouldn't hurt her. It was just how it was. But now, she was scared. This sad creature was not Inuyasha. He wasn't supposed to act like this. She reached out and put her hand on his leg. She asked him what she desperately needed to know in a very soft voice.  
  
"What were you going to use the jewel for, Inuyasha?" He looked at the hand on his leg, then at her face. She seemed so trustworthy. He felt like it was all right to tell her the truth.  
  
"I was going to become a human." Kaoru was startled.  
  
"Why would you do that? You are so strong and powerful now." Inuyasha almost laughed. Of course that's what everyone thought of first. Strength and power.  
  
"I was going to do it for Kagome."  
  
"But..." He cut her off.  
  
"What good is strength and power when there is no one for you to really protect? I want a wife, Kaoru. I want children one day. I want Kagome to be with me, like you are going to be with Kenshin. I watched him ask you to be with him forever. You didn't even answer. You just looked so happy and kissed him. It broke my heart. You are ready to be with him for the rest of your life. But what about Kagome? She hasn't said a word about the kiss I gave her. She is acting like it never even happened. And how can I blame her? Look at me, Kaoru. Do you see what I am? I have claws. I have fangs. There are dog ears coming out of the top of my fucking head! How can I expect anyone to love something like that? I'm a damn half-demon! How can she possibly want something like me?" He had been yelling until his last sentence. There he had become very soft, as if he was realizing something for the very first time. Kaoru was speechless. She couldn't think of anything to say. She liked to meddle in people's affairs, but this was too much for even her. When Inuyasha stood a moment later, she didn't try to stop him. She just watched him walk away. He moved so slowly it seemed as though his shadow would trip and fall over him. He was usually so fast. When he was finally out of her sight, she heard a noise behind her. It sounded like a choked back sob and the hurried rustling of leaves as something ran away. She dashed over to the source of the noise and watched as a flurry of black hair and a green and white uniform dashed through the trees. 


	18. All He Needed To Hear

"Kagome!" Kaoru was finding it very hard to keep up with the girl while she wore the confining pink kimono. Kagome spent most of her time fighting real demons and travelling too. Kaoru was giving a good chase though. She felt horrible that Kagome had been there, listening to her and Inuyasha. She wouldn't have said anything if she had known. She ran after Kagome until she felt like she could run no more. She stopped to catch her breath and watched the girl disappear from her sight. She sighed heavily. How could this have happened? She heard a noise behind her and turned, frightened. When she saw the figure before her though, she smiled.  
  
"Oh, thank goodness you're here."  
  
Kagome hadn't stopped her get away until she was sure Kaoru was no longer following. She didn't want to talk at that moment. She just wanted to be alone. She made her way to a small stream that she knew very well. Whenever she fought with Inuyasha and didn't want to go home, she would go here. This was where he first saw her bathe and told her not to dress as his former love had. She sat down and pulled her knees into her chest. She started to cry. What else could she do? It was all her fault. Suddenly, she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder. She knew that grip. It had the power to wield a sword and fight to the death. She turned to look at it. To admire for the thousandth time the delicate fingers and the long claws. She didn't want to look into his face yet. She couldn't think of any words to say. But that was not what she saw resting on her shoulder. There were no claws, only hands callused from years of sword training and, surprisingly enough, doing laundry. She whipped around and locked eyes with the scarred redhead.  
  
"Kenshin?" Kenshin looked down at her.  
  
"Miss Kagome, do you mind if I sit with you for a moment?" She was flustered. She didn't want anyone to sit with her for any amount of time, but this man did help Inuyasha save her life.  
  
"Sure." He sat cross-legged next to her. He didn't look into her eyes after that. He seemed to be focused on the way the continually rising sun was making the water sparkle. The two of them sat in silence for a while before Kenshin finally decided to speak. He wanted to give her the chance first.  
  
"Miss Kagome, can I tell you something?" Her heart leapt out of her chest. He didn't want to talk about Inuyasha. She was eternally grateful for that.  
  
"You can tell me anything, Kenshin." His gaze remained focused on the water as he started to speak.  
  
"You have read about me in history books you said. What did you read?" She looked at him in shock, but he continued his steady outward stare.  
  
"I read about your time as Battousai the Manslayer. I read about how you were the most amazing swordsman that ever lived." She didn't mention his involvement with the war on China or how he died in his wife's arms.  
  
"Did you read about how many people I killed?"  
  
"No, it didn't say." She was starting to become nervous about his line of questioning.  
  
"Over ten thousand. I killed almost every day. It was my job. When I was pulled out of being a shadow assassin, is when I killed the most. On the battlefields, my sword thirsted for blood, and I had to fill its need. After the revolution, I decided to become a wanderer, that I did. I pushed the killer part of me back, deep inside where it couldn't get out. I reversed my blade and swore to never kill again. I lived with Miss Kaoru, and she knew of my past. She would always say that I had changed and not to worry about it. 'You're a different person now, Kenshin.' She was so confident. But she was wrong, Miss Kagome, that she was. When I came here, I had to turn my sword around. I had to do whatever it took to rescue her. But I worried the whole time. I didn't want to see Miss Kaoru's face when I told her I was killing again. But when I finally did last night, she just hugged me and said, 'Thank you, Kenshin. Thank you for loving me that much.' She understood. She knew I killed again because I love her. My sword back will never again be anything but a reverse blade. I have restated my vow. We are going home soon, you know. But Miss Kaoru doesn't know. She hasn't asked me why I haven't decided to give up killing. I saw her in the forest a few moments ago. Apparently she was really upset by a conversation with Inuyasha. She put her arms around me then and said, 'I will love you no matter what. When you're old or if you decide to never stop killing and become Battousai again, I will never stop loving you, Kenshin.' Then she just held me for a moment." Kenshin turned to look at Kagome whose eyes were swelling up shamelessly with tears. He stared into them.  
  
"Miss Kagome, those words meant more to me than she'll ever know. A great weight was lifted off of my heart. That was all I needed to hear, that it was." He got up and turned to walk away. He was happy with his conversation with Kagome. Maybe now she'd understand Inuyasha's fear. As soon as he was back in the forest, Kagome jumped up. She needed to find Inuyasha. It was her fault her felt the way he did, and instead of wallowing in self-pity, she was going to make it right. She began to run. She racked her brain for where he would go. She sped through the forest calling out his name. Her ears were straining for an answer. He was being stubborn. She reached a small shaded clearing and finally found him. She felt as though she had been running forever. She didn't stop to catch her breath, though. Inuyasha turned, surprised to see her. He could smell her coming but didn't want to talk at that moment. But she didn't either. She walked right up to the startled hanyou and took his hand in hers. She pulled it up to her face and delicately kissed every one of his deadly claws. She repeated it with the other hand. Inuyasha's mouth was hanging open. His eyes never left her face. She reached up and ran her fingers through his long silky hair. She rubbed the back of his ear, which made his whole body tingle. She then stood before him and looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Inuyasha, I know what you were going to do with the jewel. I heard you talking to Kaoru." His face fell. How could he not have noticed her there? What would she think now?  
  
"Kagome..." She stopped him with a finger to his lips.  
  
"I love you, Inuyasha. I have for the longest time now. I just thought you didn't love me. Please understand that my love is unconditional. No matter what form you take, it will not falter. Even when you were a full demon, I still loved you. I stayed right there, don't you remember?" His expression changed. It was now one of relief and hope. Then her next words came.  
  
"But I like your hanyou form best. I don't know what I'd do with a human Inuyasha." Then it was joy. Sheer, unadulterated joy. He wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her lips, and she kissed back. They stayed in the clearing until the sun was past its highest point. They just wanted to be with each other. Then Inuyasha lifted Kagome from his lap, where she had ended up several hours before, and hoisted her on his back.  
  
"Come on, we have to see our new friends off." 


	19. Saying GoodBye

Kagome had never been so unhappy to be standing by the well. She knew that in a few minutes her new friends would be disappearing down it. That was only if her theory worked though. She sighed as she stood with Kenshin, Inuyasha, Yahiko, Shippo, Kaede and Kaoru. She hadn't seen Miroku all morning and Sanosuke and Sango were alone in the hut, saying their good- byes. Kagome hadn't wanted to leave them, but Inuyasha insisted that they needed a few minutes alone. The girls were becoming impatient. Kaoru loved being there, but she wanted desperately to go home. Kagome had something important to say, and she had to wait for them. But the two new lovers weren't ready to go yet. They lay side by side on a mat that covered the hard wood floor. Sanosuke nuzzled into Sango's shoulder.  
  
"Sango." She shivered. She loved the way her name sounded coming from his lips.  
  
"Yes, Sanosuke?" He pulled back and looked her in the eye. She frowned at what she saw. He was so very sad. He gently stroked the side of her cheek. His heart was breaking in two and as much as he was trying to hide it, he knew by the look on her face that he was not doing a very good job.  
  
"I will miss you very much."  
  
"I will miss you too." He leaned forward and took her lips to his. It was a soft kiss. She was surprised. He had never kissed her like that before. He had always been so forceful. He ran his fingers through her long black hair, then stood up. He carefully untied the red band that was holding back his hair. He placed it into her hand. She looked up at him, confused.  
  
"To remember me by."  
  
"Oh." He turned to look out the flap where he could tell everyone was waiting.  
  
"I have to go." His voice was soft and full of regret.  
  
"I know." She stood, and he walked out the door. Before she followed, she grabbed her massive weapon. She tied the red band around the outer edge into a bow. She ran her hand down the length of her boomerang and turned back to the door where Sanosuke had just left. She hurried after him. When the two reached the small waiting party, Kagome sighed in relief. It was so hard to hold this information in.  
  
"All right, now all..." Shippo cut Kagome off.  
  
"Where's Miroku? Shouldn't he be here?" Kenshin stepped forward.  
  
"I don't think he is coming today, that I don't." He didn't think it was necessary to tell the others about their conversation. When he had been in the woods that morning, he was not looking for Kaoru. He was looking for the depressed monk. There were some important things he had to say to him. He had found the sad man sitting on a log staring at his right hand, which was free of the air void. He had barely noticed Kenshin's approach. Kenshin had sat down on the log next to him.  
  
"I've never felt so empty." Kenshin had been surprised by the directness of Miroku. He had been prepared to say a few things to the monk and had planned on finding it difficult to break the ice.  
  
"It must be awful to have a part of you that's always been there disappear. I am very sorry that losing your air void is so hard on you, Miroku, that I am." Miroku had continued staring at his hand.  
  
"That's not what I meant." Kenshin had known that. He had known exactly what the man meant.  
  
"Miroku, there are a lot of things that I know about this time period. I know what your future brings. Please take care of Miss Sango. She's going to need your help, that she will." He had not responded, and Kenshin had gone toward home after that. It was at that time that Kaoru had found him. Shippo frowned.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I just don't think he is coming. Please continue, Miss Kagome." Kagome began again.  
  
"Okay. To get home, all you have to do is jump into the well." Inuyasha scoffed at that.  
  
"Keh! Kagome, how in the hell do you expect that to work? No one but you and me can get down the well." Kagome sighed again. He may have confessed his love to her, but he would never change. She smiled at that. Deep down, she really didn't want him to.  
  
"Inuyasha, when I came here, the Shikon Jewel was pulled out of my body, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, it came from Kikyo. When she died, she passed her soul and the jewel on to me. The jewel that you used to give Kaoru back her soul came from my time. The jewel also exists in Kaoru's time. Right now it is in her side." Kaoru gasped and held on to herself. She looked at Kagome in doubt.  
  
"Is it really inside me?"  
  
"Yes, I can see it." Everyone stared at Kaoru. She was feeling quite overwhelmed. She looked up at Inuyasha. He had used the jewel for her. Now she had one too.  
  
"Inuyasha, if you would like, I will give the jewel to you." Inuyasha stared at her for a moment. Was she really willing to get the jewel ripped out of her body?  
  
"No, Kaoru. You have to have the jewel to get home. Besides, I really don't need it anymore." Kagome smiled at that.  
  
"Before I go, I have something I need to ask of you, Inuyasha. Please teach your swordsmanship to someone. Teach them your speed. Teach them your attacks. Teach them your courage. It's important that you pass it on, that it is."  
  
"Keh! Why would I do that?"  
  
"Please, Inuyasha." Inuyasha had never seen Kenshin look so serious without fighting before.  
  
"All right."  
  
"Now, all you have to do is hold on tight to Kaoru."  
  
"One more thing before we go, Miss Kagome. Thank you so much. Thank you, Inuyasha. I owe everything to you, that I do." Inuyasha did not reply. He couldn't think of anything suitable to say. Kenshin grabbed on to Kaoru, as did Yahiko and Sanosuke. They were about to jump when Sango ran forward.  
  
"Wait!" She reached the little group and pulled the white ribbon from her hair. She placed it in Sanosuke's hand.  
  
"For you to remember me by." He gently lifted her face to his and kissed her softly. She backed away and watched the four of them jump into the well. She half hoped that it wouldn't work. She wanted them to jump back out. She wanted Sanosuke to run into her arms and hold her. She wanted them to be stuck. But they didn't come back up. It had worked. Kenshin and his little gang were back home. She turned to face Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha was holding her tightly. He had his face buried in her hair. Sango smiled lightly. It was about time they got together. She walked slowly back to the hut, alone. When she reached it, she found Miroku sitting inside. He looked up at her as she entered.  
  
"Are you okay, Sango?" She was touched by his concern. He hadn't said a word to her since Sanosuke had yelled at him. It was nice to have him caring for her again.  
  
"I'm fine, Miroku." He smiled lightly at her.  
  
"If you ever need anything, please know I'm here."  
  
"Thank you." She walked over to Hiraikotsu and ran her hand along the edge. She had lost and gained so much over the past few days. She lost her brother and almost lost her best friend. But she found vengeance in Naraku's death, and Kagome was all right. And then there was Sanosuke. She had found him. His loving kiss. His strong touch. But now he was gone too. She stared at his head band that was tied around her weapon. His words echoed in her head.  
  
"To remember me by." She smiled softly and placed her fingers to her lips. She could still feel the pressure of his kiss there. She sighed and spoke so quietly that not even Miroku heard her.  
  
"Like I could ever forget." 


	20. Epilogue: Connections

The journey had been very long, and the little boy's feet hurt. He didn't understand why they had to go to this place. Why would anyone live so deep in the forest? He looked up at his mother and father. His father's red hair blew lazily in the wind, and he was smiling. The boy got so caught up in looking that he missed the root coming out of the ground and fell face first. He was ready to cry when he felt his father's strong arms lift him up.  
  
"Be careful, son. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."  
  
Further along the path, a small hut stood. Inside, a man was waiting very impatiently. He ran his fingers through his long red hair. He so desperately wanted to see his family. Each and every child that carried any trace of his blood was important to him. He wanted to be there to guide them. To teach them. Throughout his unnaturally long life, he had learned many things. His idol had taught him perseverance, to fight and never give up. The monk had taught him peacefulness. The demon slayer had taught him to overcome any obstacle in his path. The miko had taught him love. Then there was that man. He hadn't known him for very long at all, especially considering the length of his life, but he was important too. His words would always ring inside his heart. He had been just a child then, but he remembered it clearly. He had sat next to the man as he did something with his sword. When he had asked why, the man had smiled at him.  
  
"I must protect those weaker than me, but if I kill everyone they cannot atone for their sins and change their ways, that they can't."  
  
"But what if they just stay bad people?" The reversed blade of the sword had shone as he polished it.  
  
"That's true, Shippo. But what if they don't?"  
  
Shippo had lived out his life by that man's words. He had never killed a human or demon after that day. Inuyasha had laughed at him. All life being precious was not something the hanyou could understand. Shippo didn't worry about it much though. He had rarely been there. But that man's words were always on his mind. That was why he had decided to honor him the way he did. One day he, Miroku, and Sango were discussing family names. He had been upset because he didn't have one.  
  
"Kagome's is Higarashi. Yours is Kazanna, which would explain the irony of Naraku's curse. And yours was Hiraikotsu. Why don't Inuyasha or I have one?"  
  
"Because you're demons. I guess you don't need one. Inuyasha does have a family name now though. When he and Kagome got married and decided to live in Kagome's time, he took her name. Next time they come for a visit you should talk to them about it." Sango got up after that. She could hear crying. The next time Inuyasha and Kagome had visited, he did talk to them about it.  
  
"That's so cute, Shippo. I guess you can pick any name you want. How about Kawaii because you're so cute?"  
  
"Keh! That's stupid, Kagome. How about Kitsune because that's what you are." Shippo hadn't needed long to decide on his name. Actually, he had decided before. He just wasn't sure if it was all right to use it.  
  
"I can pick any name?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Himura." Kagome and Inuyasha had stared at the small fox demon for a moment. It had already been a little over a year since they had beaten Naraku. Inuyasha had bent down and stared at him. Shippo had been frightened for a moment. Was he wrong for choosing that name?  
  
"Shippo Himura is an excellent name. You better live up to it though. I made that man a promise because he was a good man. Don't you dare tarnish his name." Shippo had looked up at Inuyasha after that. He knew exactly who Inuyasha was going to fulfill his promise with, which meant he'd have to come back to the Warring States era a lot.  
  
"I won't." Shippo sighed as he looked out the door of his hut. That had been so long ago. Twelve generations ago to be exact. Three hundred and twenty five years. Now it was a time of unrest in the government. That was why he had moved into the woods. He had to get away from that. His pointed ears perked up as he heard a twig snap and the laughter of a child in the distance. His family was almost there. It had been five years since the boy was born, and he had still never seen him. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so excited. Quickly his features changed as they drew nearer. He went from a handsome looking young man to something entirely different. His smooth face wrinkled. His red hair turned gray. His ears rounded. He became shorter and hunched over. He was an old man. When his family arrived, they ran to him and hugged him. He smiled. He had missed them so very much. He looked at the small boy in front of him and took a big whiff.  
  
"Gods, you can't even smell it."  
  
"Smell what great-grandfather?"  
  
"Nothing." Shippo was amazed. With only one-twelfth demon blood, the child did not smell like demon at all. No one would be able to detect it in him. The only clue was his remarkable red hair. Shippo reached out a hand and cupped the young boy's unblemished left cheek. The boy smiled up at him.  
  
"And what should your great-grandfather call you?"  
  
"Shinta Himura."  
  
Yahiko trudged along next to Sanosuke. He was so tired. They had been walking on this outlying path in Kyoto for what seemed like forever. He hadn't done this much walking since they got back from the Warring States era two months ago.  
  
"Kenshin, are we almost there? I'm getting tired."  
  
"And hungry!" Sanosuke rubbed his complaining stomach. Kenshin looked back at them without letting go of Kaoru's hand. They had been inseparable ever since they returned.  
  
"Just a little while longer. Where I'm taking you is just beyond that hill, that it is." When the little party finally reached where Kenshin was taking them, they were surprised. It was a small clearing with a few graves in it. He sat down next to one, and the others followed suit.  
  
"Now I will tell you what we came here for. This is the legend of the beginnings of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style."  
  
"You dragged us all the way out here to tell us that? Couldn't you have told us at home?"  
  
"Shut up, Yahiko! Go ahead, Kenshin darling."  
  
"Well, the Hiten Mitsurugi style wasn't always called that. The name was changed about a two hundred years ago."  
  
"Wow, it's that old?"  
  
"Yahiko, stop interrupting!"  
  
"It's okay Kaoru. Yes, the Hiten Mitsurugi style is about three hundred and fifty years old. It was originally called the Inu Hanyou style. But that was not a very impressive name, that it was not." Everyone stared at him in disbelief. It couldn't be.  
  
"So, somewhere along the way it was changed. It is said that there was a great Inu Hanyou that felt it was his duty to protect humans, especially his wife. He had a magical sword that could kill a hundred demons in one swoop. He was a very impressive man, that he was." The little group was riveted. They had also heard of a great hanyou who could kill a hundred demons with one swoop. Kaoru had even touched his hair.  
  
"One day he decided that he needed to pass on his techniques. He chose the greatest human he could find. This man was raised by a demon slayer and a monk. It was the demon slayer's son. He had many brothers and sisters, but he was first born and the hanyou thought it best to teach him, that he did. He knew that he was the strongest. So they spent a long time together. Eventually, he became the first master of the Inu Hanyou and later Hiten Mitsurugi style." Kaoru squeezed his hand. She now understood why Kenshin had made Inuyasha promise to teach some one else.  
  
"That was a great story, Kenshin, but why couldn't you have told us back home?"  
  
"Because I wanted you to see his grave." They all looked at the red headed samurai. Sanosuke stood up, and Yahiko looked around at the few graves that littered the area.  
  
"What was his name, Kenshin?"  
  
"He was named after his father."  
  
"Miroku!" Yahiko jumped up. It wasn't often he could deduce things so quickly. Kenshin smiled.  
  
"No, Yahiko. I said he was raised by a monk. His father was the only man who ever lived that could kill demons with his bare hands. Apparently he was very impressive. He loved the demon slayer and then had to return to his own lands." Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko turned when they heard a thump on the ground. The tall brown haired man they traveled with was kneeling in front of a grave. His hair and the white ribbon that he now wore in it blew softly in the wind. They went to his side.  
  
"This is the grave of that man, that it is." Tear stained eyes turned and looked at him.  
  
"Thank you for taking me here, Kenshin. And thank you for telling me that story. It was a very nice legend." He hung his head again, and tears dripped onto his rough hands. Yahiko and Kaoru gasped as they read the inscription on the tombstone. It was very old and faded, but clear as a bell to them. Kaoru reached out and traced the characters carefully. It read, "Sanosuke."  
  
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A/N: Well, that's it. For all of you who don't religiously watch Rurouni Kenshin, Kenshin's name was Shinta before he lost his family and met Hiko. Hiko gave him the name Kenshin. I would like to thank Sugarhighs:p from Media Miner for the idea to make Shippo and Kenshin related. Her idea to have Inuyasha teach Shippo who taught his kids who passed it on to Kenshin didn't work though because Kenshin was not taught his sword style by his family. Well please review my friends! I hope you liked Two Swords: The Tangled Web. 


	21. Bonus Chapter: The Gift

I just revamped this and saw a few reviews that were confused as to how Kagome and Inuyasha came back to the feudal era and how Sanosuke (jr.) lived. A few people asked me for a sequel too. So, here it is, the bonus chapter of "Two Swords: The Tangled Web."  
  
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"Come on, Kagome! Will you hurry it up?" Kagome ran into the well house with Inuyasha. She handed him the bag she was carrying then straightened her jeans.  
  
"You're so impatient." She brushed some dirt off of the sleeve of his red t-shirt.  
  
"You can't go without me, and still you keep me waiting. I was going to leave you." She stepped onto the rim of the well and grabbed onto her husband.  
  
"No you weren't."  
  
Shippo sat on the porch of Kaede's hut brushing his long fluffy tail. He sighed as he watched the children run about before him. He and Shiori's pups laughed and rolled around together, dirtying their orange hair though one look in their bright violet eyes would keep him from reprimanding them. Miroku and Sango's children ran all over the place. They hurled new weapons, danced in circles, tumbled over the younger children and his pups. His attention shifted to the one child who looked out of place. Older than the rest, the small boy stood next to the large tree that used to be Inuyasha's favorite swinging a bokken Kagome had brought from her time at it. He hit hard and ricocheted, over and over. Shippo couldn't help but admire the young unruly haired boy. He practiced day in and day out, always vowing to become like the man his father was. The sun was high overhead and sweat dripped off of his arms, but still he swung the wooden sword.  
  
"Hey Shippo!" The kitsune tore his gaze away from the young boy to see Inuyasha and Kagome coming toward him. It had been over ten years and still he couldn't get over Inuyasha wearing what he called jeans and a t- shirt. He had nearly died of laughter the first time he saw him in shoes. Ever since then, Inuyasha had insisted on being barefoot in the feudal era. Shippo rose from his place on the porch and set the brush down.  
  
"Hey guys! How are you doing?"  
  
"We're good. Have you seen Sango?"  
  
"She's down by the river."  
  
"Thanks." Kagome fished into pack for a box and trotted away toward Sango. Inuyasha joined Shippo on the porch.  
  
"He's been practicing constantly. All he seems to think about is becoming stronger. He says he wants to help people like his father." Inuyasha looked toward the young boy. His sword bounced too hard off the tree, and he promptly cursed at it. A smile tugged at the hanyou's lips.  
  
"I know."  
  
Kagome found Sango sitting on the bank of the river scrubbing laundry. She silently thanked God for washing machines. She approached her friend clutching the box. She walked slowly, hesitating after each step.  
  
"Sango." The women turned around and smiled. She dropped the laundry and stood; her stomach rounded a little by yet another child. They had laughed many times about the sudden absence of her husband's favorite line after his third son. Kagome could still remember when Sango found out she was pregnant for the first time. It was two weeks after Miroku had asked her to marry him. The images of tears and smiles were still fresh in her mind. She could never shake the image of Miroku's face. He had smiled so brightly for his wife. They had celebrated so much. Though, Kagome distinctly remembered pain hidden behind that smile. She wasn't sure if Sango didn't see it, or refused to acknowledge it.  
  
"How have you been, Kagome?"  
  
"Oh just great!" She moved to the bank beside her friend. She sat in the sand and removed her shoes. She dipped her toes in the water and motioned for Sango to join her. She placed the box on her lap and stared for a moment before speaking.  
  
"I brought you something." Sango smiled.  
  
"More time, I hope." Kagome laughed.  
  
"Not quite. Recently, a mall bought out a big section of Tokyo. They are going to tear down a lot of buildings including a restaurant called the Akebeko that has been around since the 1850s. So, being a historian for the university, they asked me to go through all the really old files to see if I could find anything interesting." Sango tilted her head.  
  
"So what did you find?" Kagome traced circles on the top of box.  
  
"Well, I found a lot of stuff, including a caricature done by Tsunan Tsukioka. I turned all of it in to the university, and I will probably be working on it for a while. But, as I was digging through boxes and boxes of stuff, I came upon something interesting that I managed to smuggle away." Her fingers slid under the lid of the box.  
  
"Well, what is it." She opened it and handed it to her friend.  
  
"A photograph." Sango sat with her mouth hanging open. She stared at the time worn picture in front of her, and her heart raced. It was a formal sitting of a woman in a waitress uniform, a woman wearing doctor's clothing, and a girl with a long braid. It also had a boy too stubborn to remove his shinai for the picture, a woman whose stomach was swelled with pregnancy and a small man with long hair and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. But the person who had her complete attention was standing in back. He wore a white jacket that barely concealed his chest, and his hair was everywhere. It would have been even messier had it not been for the white ribbon holding it back. His lips were curved into a small grin. She pushed the photo away before droplets from her chin hit it. She looked at Kagome.  
  
"I made a copy of it. You can have the original. I think that would be best." Sango closed her eyes and put the lid back on the box.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Miroku stood on the porch next to Shippo and Inuyasha. The hanyou watched as he looked out over his children. His was beaming with fatherly pride. The yard was filled with his babies. His smiled waned as his gaze passed over the young swordsman. Inuyasha had heard many times from Kagome how Miroku never treated him the same, how young Sanosuke was often ignored by his mother's husband in her absence. Miroku's smile turned back on as he watched his wife coming up from the river. Inuyasha rose and strode over to the tree to inspect the boy's swing.  
  
"Still working hard?" Sanosuke hated how his instructor slapped him on the back in greeting.  
  
"Always, Uncle Inuyasha."  
  
Sango surveyed the yard filled with her children from next to Kagome. Her eyes rested on her favorite, the one who had so often been neglected by her husband. Although she knew she should love her children equally, she didn't. He was the one that she loved best. He embodied everything she held sacred. He was strong, courageous, dedicated. He worked hard, and he had a good heart. And he looked like his father, so right down to the unruly brown hair. In a few years, she'd remove the headband that had seen so many battles with her so he could wear it. One day she'd show him the picture she would hold sacred for the rest of her days. She heard Inuyasha speaking loudly.  
  
"Today, we work on speed. Run as fast as you can to the God tree and back. We'll do it until you beat me." Sango watched her son, his son carefully. She smiled and clutched the box tighter to her chest. The teacher and student were gone in a flurry of dust.  
  
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A/N: I hope you liked it. I haven't forgotten about "Prisoner of War." I have tried to write the beginning of the next chapter like 17 times. If anyone wants to help me out, let me know. Please review! 


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